Welcome to the 2017 Cup of China ice dancing free dance! This time, it’s a chilly Sunday afternoon. I really need to go make a cup of tea, but I can’t wait to see Papadakis and Cizeron, so let’s get started! As I mentioned in the short dance post… I have a harder time talking about ice dancing because I ...

Welcome to the 2017 Cup of China ice dancing free dance! This time, it’s a chilly Sunday afternoon. I really need to go make a cup of tea, but I can’t wait to see Papadakis and Cizeron, so let’s get started!

As I mentioned in the short dance post…

I have a harder time talking about ice dancing because I know next to nothing about dancing or the technical components of this particular discipline. Still, I can report on how things looked, what I felt, what worked, and what didn’t in terms of connecting with the music and the audience.

Free Dance

Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter | USA

Their music is “Anime Contro Vento” by the Medialuna Tango Project. They’re dressed for a tango, too, in sleek black. I dig it.

Okay, a few notes in, it looks like this is a soft, slow tango rather than the quick, fast, almost harsh precision I think of with a traditional tango. The music features just a piano and an accordion.

Their first lift is nice, with good flow.

Their second lift (in the screenshot above) looks a lot like what Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir use to highlight the climax of their Moulin Rouge free dance. It’s a great highlight move when the music swells, but not much is going on musically right now, so I’m wondering if this is kind of wasted.

It looks like they’re skating a bit far apart at times – I want to see them closer together.

Good twizzles!

You guys, the slowness of the music isn’t doing them any favors. There was a tempo change, but it’s still not very dramatic. Still muted, with just the piano and accordion. Tango is about fire, right? And precision?

Meh on the rotational lift – I’m not crazy about the positions. Good speed, though.

Really nice spin there at the end! It looks like they finished a teensy bit off the music.

Overall, this was nice, but nothing really grabbed me. I saw more emotion from her when the tempo picked up, but it was all in the face and not in the body movements.

Scores

Technical elements: 48.99Presentation: 44.97Total: 93.96

This puts them in first place so far.

Tiffany Zahorski & Jonathan Guerreiro | Russia

I didn’t see these two in the final group in the short dance, so they must have a good score that put them in this final group for the free dance.

Their names made me curious, so I had to look them up. She was born in London, but is a French and Russian citizen. He was born in Sydney to a Russian mother and Portuguese father. Let’s move on.

Their music is “Exogenesis Symphony” and “Ruled by Secrecy” by Muse.

That’s a nice opening move, where she’s leaning down over him and they’re circling the ice.

These two have a very nice and light feel – they’re practically floating over the ice.

Nice twizzles – but their arm positions should have been more synchronized on the third twizzle.

Whoa, she did this huge flying leap toward him! Athletic, yes, but out of character with their music and the program’s floaty, lyrical feel.

We started out with an instrumental, and now we’re into a vocal. This fits knowing Muse is the source, but I’m not a super fan of the vocal and instrumental combo in general. As they say in Russia, you can’t put your ass on two toilets.

That was kind of an awkward exit from their lift/spin at the end of the program.

Scores

Technical elements: 48.57Presentation: 48.22Total: 96.79

This puts them in first place, ahead of the Americans. That’s fair. Their coverage of the ice and speed seemed much better. Both teams’ technical scores were similar, but these two scored 3+ more points in the presentation score. They do have a more polished look to them.

Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron | France

They’re skating to Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata here. Instantly, I’m thinking of Gordeeva and Grinkov’s long program from Lillehammer.

In their opener, I love the way he puts her hand behind his neck, bringing her into the dance. They have such a great connection to each other.

They tackle the twizzles right off the bat – fantastic unison, timed perfectly with the beats of the music. Such good speed, too.

The stupid cameraman keeps going airborne. They’re intending to show more of what’s going on, but now I missed all the detail of their first lift. Thanks for nothing, unartistic camera operator.

That’s a really nice pair spin, timed perfectly with the faster part of the music.

Oh holy crap, that’s a gorgeous spin/slide across the ice (see screenshot above). Her toes and hands are so perfectly pointed.

She just twirled and hopped up into his arms – a nice move on its own, but then it transitioned into a lift, which transitioned back to the ice with a few gentle hops that keep the sense of vertical movement. Their choreography is so well thought out.

All their movements connect so well. He runs his hands down her sides, then picks her up at the knees. Absolutely nothing is wasted. Everything means something.

Such nice mirror skating at the end. The synchronization is perfect!

Scores

Technical elements: 60.77Presentation: 58.56Total: 119.33

This puts them in first place – and, would you look at that…a season’s best and a new world record for the free dance! Their competition total is over 200 ( 200.43). Holy shit. That’s a world record overall! I have to say, after I watched Virtue and Moir at Skate Canada, I was kind of thinking they had the gold sewn up. But now…it is ON.

Madison Chock & Evan Bates | USA

They’re skating to “Imagine” by John Lennon. Ugh. Downer. I’ll try not to hold it against them.

Wow, check out the move in the screenshot above. Her leg is stretched all the way up – such a pretty move!

This is a weird version of the song, with some female vocals mixed in with Lennon’s original vocals. Kinda disorienting. I wasn’t a fan of the song to begin with, but at least Lennon’s original has a purity about it. Not enjoying the changes.

Nice twizzles – good unison, but they’re moving a little slow. Compare their twizzle speed to Papadakis and Cizeron, who look like they’re flying.

Okay, this music is really bothering me now. We’ve had the original and a weird female vocal addition. Now, there’s no vocal at all. A squeaky violin is taking the place of the vocals. No likey.

Here’s what I’m noticing about them. Their skating can be light and lyrical, or fast and energetic. I love that they can do both so well. They’re fun to watch because of their versatility. They connect with each other, the audience, and the music.

Now we have another lift where the woman jumps up into the arms of the man. These add athleticism, for sure, but I’ve seen a lot of YouTube comments from viewers who want ice dancing to stay a dance, not a gymnastics tryout. It’s an interesting debate. This is a sport, and there’s nothing wrong with wanting to display athleticism. Ballroom dancers do some crazy jumps and lifts, too.

Wow, they picked up speed for the last third of the program, and she’s emoting the shit out of the music. I’m glad there’s a build, which is what I wanted to see in the first two couples’ programs. But I DO NOT like this song, and I don’t like this weird version of it.

I like these two – a WHOLE LOT – but I don’t think this is the vehicle they were looking for.

Score

Technical elements: 56.27Presentation: 55.57Total: 111.84

This puts them in second place (duh). But will it be enough to hold off the Russians?

Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev | Russia

Their music is listed as “Oblivion, Beethoven’s Five Secrets.” I have no idea what this means.

Let’s take a minute to acknowledge how good their outfits are. None of that overly bedazzled stuff; just a shirt, vest and pants for him, and a lovely rose colored dip-dyed dress for her. Nice choices, you guys. I don’t say that often about Russians and fashion choices.

Okay, so her character in this dance is blind – she’s reaching out and seeming not to see, and he has to guide her. This could work as long as they don’t overplay it. I’m picturing some of the Bestemianova/Bukin programs from the late ’80s, where they went deep-end with the roleplaying (Rasputin and Tsarevich Alexei, for example). Let’s see how they do with this.

They’re doing their twizzles right off the bat, too. Great unison, even in the arm movements.

And now we have another lift that starts with the woman leaping into the man’s arms. This is really a trend these days, you guys. Why? Is it rewarded by the judges? Or are couples looking for a way to add difficulty? Or is it a me-too thing, where once one couple did it, they all want to?

I’m not a fan of the lift where she’s balanced like a pencil on his legs while he’s in a crouch. I’m sure it’s hard as hell. I couldn’t do it. But there’s not enough of a payoff – and the line just isn’t as pretty as their other lifts.

Her character seemed to disappear a bit until we hit the middle section. Now she’s moving her arms in front of her face. This must mean she can see now? I was worried they’d go too into character, but I’m kind of thinking they didn’t go far enough. The choreography didn’t seem to support the story as well as it could have.

We just had a music cut, you guys – now it’s an orchestral version of “Secrets” from OneRepublic. I like the instrumental version, I’m just not sure how it connects with the other pieces of music. Looks like there’s a lot of arm waving and pointing in this section. I guess it makes sense, if her character can see now.

Wow, that’s a beautiful move when she balances both her blades on his foot!

She slips out of his arms at the end. Oh, that’s so sad – she can see now, and she leaves him behind. Argh! So simple, but so emotionally affecting. Great ending, you guys.

Score

Technical elements: 55.36Presentation: 55.14Total: 110.50

This puts them in third, behind Chock and Bates. I love Chock and Bates, but style wise, I really preferred Bobrova and Soloviev here. Chock and Bates got ’em in both the technical mark and the presentation mark, though.

That’s the end of the 2017 Cup of China free dance! Was anyone robbed? Tell me in the comments!

If you just can’t get enough, check out the rest of my 2017 skating posts:

Welcome to the 2017 Cup of China ice dancing short dance! So, I’m sitting home alone on a cold, rainy Friday night watching figure skating on YouTube. Draped in a blanket. Clutching a mug of chai. Some would think this is less than ideal for a Friday night, but I’m right where I want to be. A quick note on ...

Welcome to the 2017 Cup of China ice dancing short dance! So, I’m sitting home alone on a cold, rainy Friday night watching figure skating on YouTube. Draped in a blanket. Clutching a mug of chai. Some would think this is less than ideal for a Friday night, but I’m right where I want to be.

A quick note on ice dancing before we get started…

I’m really limited in the way I can talk about these routines. I know next to nothing about the technical nature of ice dancing, or the intricacies of ballroom dancing steps. I chose a version of the broadcast with commentary so I could see if these guys thought the way I did about what I saw.

Obviously, I can spot a lift and determine whether it’s straight line or rotational. I can spot twizzles, and the choctaw. Beyond that, I’m like…uh, it’s all choreography to me. But I do know how that choreography makes me feel. And I have a sense of the difficulty level based on speed, closeness of steps, mirror skating versus dance holds, etc. That being said, I’m growing to appreciate ice dance more every year. When the rest of the disciplines feel like boring quad festivals, tune into some ice dancing and enjoy a purer form of skating.

Short Dance

Elliana Pogrebinsky & Alex Benoit | USA

This is the first time I’ve seen these two…and yay, they’re Americans! They were 4th at nationals last year, so that’s a good sign.

They’re skating to samba, rhumba, and merengue – or so says the lower-third on the screen. The British announcer said their music is blues and swing, but, um, dude, are you paying attention at all? For those who don’t know, the short dance is always regulated in terms of ballroom dance styles. Every year, there’s a different set of choices for rhythms; this year is clearly samba, rhumba, salsa, merengue, slow rhumba, etc. No one is going to be skating to blues and swing.

Looks like their choctaw is a teensy bit slow.

That was a really nice element where her leg was extended and then stretched into a split – a transitional move, but so nicely choreographed and executed.

One of their pieces of music is “Despacito.” I can already tell that way too many couples are using this music this year. At least two couples skated to it at Skate Canada. I get that it’s a popular song, which makes it a crowd pleaser and an obvious choice. But if it’s obvious to you, it’s gonna be obvious to every other couple competing this season.

Ooh, they were a teensy bit off in their twizzle sequence. Spellcheck does not like the word “twizzle,” by the way.

I like their look, I like their flow – I think these two are going places. They’re so young, but they remind me of Bobrova and Soloviev, whom we’ll see later.

Scores

Technical elements: 30.14Presentation: 29.18Total: 59.32

Ouch – this puts them in third place! Not really what you want when you skate in the final group. What did the judges see that I missed? Clearly, there are tons of ways to lose points in ice dance, from the wrong number of rotations to a lift that isn’t purely straight-line or rotational. I missed something here, because these two were pretty solid to me.

Lorraine McNamara & Quinn Carpenter | USA

More Americans, yay! These two have been together for 11 years already, according to the announcers. Wow. So I was, like, eating dirt in the backyard at the age they were already learning to do something useful.

They’re skating to a rhumba, slow rhumba, and samba. Let’s hope the don’t fall into the “Despacito” trap.

First, we have a sped-up version of “Mambo Italiano.” That’s a good choice, and their speed is good.

Nice choctaw, but not as fast or tight as the couples in the last group at Skate Canada.

Hmm, they’re a little off on the twizzle sequence at the end.

So far, they have good music cuts. Sometimes these are way too abrupt, or the sound mixers try to fade one track out over the next, which never works when you’re changing tempos. It’s almost ALWAYS awkward. But this cut was well done!

So, what’s this slow rhumba song? Oh, crap, I recognize this Enrique Iglesias song. At least one couple skated to this at Skate Canada, too. This is what happens with these required dance styles in the short dance. As a skater, though, wouldn’t you expect this and pick something no one’s ever heard of? Or you gotta go like Virtue and Moir, and pick non-Latin songs that have the required time beat, but fit your personal style better. As Ezra Pound said, make it new. As Burger King said, have it your way. In skating, sometimes you have to do both.

That was an awkward entrance into the straight-line lift. You could see she was really working to get into that. It needs to be a bit faster and smoother, like it’s effortless to wrap yourself around your partner’s neck and stand up on his leg. Easy to say, hard to do, I know, I know.

They’re not pantomiming orgasmic enthusiasm like some teams do for these Latin dances. They’re happy and alert, but it feels genuine, not the put-on sexuality or saccharine enthusiasm that makes me throw up in my mouth sometimes. Unfortunately, I think that’s what the judges reward, so it may hurt these two in the long run.

Scores

Technical elements: 34.30Presentation: 29.35Total: 63.65

This puts them in 2nd place – ahead of the previous pair, but behind a Russian couple from the last group. Their presentation marks are even with the last pair, but they’re four points ahead in technical elements. Again, this is where I stumble, literally and metaphorically, when it comes to ice dance. I can’t tell you why it happened, just that it happened.

Gabriella Papadakis & Guillaume Cizeron | France

Full confession: I FUCKING LOVE THESE TWO. They’re why I pay more attention to ice dancing than I used to (along with Madison Hubbell and Zachary Donohue). Can these two beat Virtue and Moir at the Olympics? My heart wants to say yes, but my brain says no. I feel like it’s going to be 1994 all over again, where Gordeeva and Grinkov beat my favorites, Mishkutienok and Dmitriev. But I’m getting ahead of myself – what are they gonna put down tonight?

They’re skating to samba, rhumba, and samba. I wish that was more helpful a descriptor.

Wow, her outfit is kinda crazy. I didn’t suspect she had a fringe game!

They’re definitely faster on the choctaw than both previous couples. Their blades are closer together, too, which I’d expect from a more experienced and polished couple.

Not wild about this music choice, you guys. It’s Ed Sheeran’s “Shape of You.” Not a bad song, but as a bid for an Olympic gold medal, it feels kinda low-rent. That being said, their free dances are usually wildly transcendent, emotional, lyrical – so by choosing this song, they’re showing range.

Is it me, or does this skate feel a little slow? It’s early in the season still, but I feel like the things I’ve seen from them before have crazy speed and this is kinda…not like that.

Kick-ass twizzles! Said no one ever, unless they’re talking about ice dancing.

This program isn’t grabbing me like their others. Something must be wrong with me.

Their straight-line lift is…nice. Not wow, not holy shit, just…nice. WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME. WHY DON’T I FEEL THE WOW.

Ha – one of the announcers is saying he wasn’t sure about the Ed Sheeran, either. Now he’s saying this program isn’t as strong a vehicle for them as Virtue and Moir’s short dance. That’s exactly how I feel. This program does not lay the smackdown and push Virtue and Moir into second place. Virtue and Moir’s short dance this year is fast, intricate, and full of connection between each other and the audience. As much as I love these two, this is not the short dance they are looking for in an Olympic year when they’re up against the Canadians.

I humbly volunteer to be their unofficial consultant/second opinion provider. Call me, you guys.

Scores

Technical elements: 42.35Presentation: 38.75Total: 81.10

Their best-ever short dance score! Wow. So I know fuck-all about scoring ice dancing, clearly.

Madison Chock & Evan Bates | USA

They’re skating to salsa, rhumba, and samba. Again, super helpful. Before we get started, I must confess that I love these two. Their “Under Pressure” free dance last year is mind-blowing. Click here to watch it.

On an unrelated note, what’s with all the girls wearing green? In this final group so far, all the ladies except for Elliana Pogrebinsky are in green. It’s like when you go to work, and three other people are all wearing dark purple sweaters, and people go, “Oh, you got the memo.” No, I just have fan-fucking-tastic style, that’s all.

Oh, I really like their steps at the beginning. She does a good job of conveying mood without that sickening fakeness I hate.

Nice twizzles!

They went with what I’d call more traditional Latin music – I like it. There are times when you dare to be different, and times when you let your footwork speak for itself. I like that they’ve gone with the latter.

I feel like their steps are already faster than the three prior couples. Good training, you guys.

Wow, that spread eagle move – crazy! She could so easily slide off that edge! Nice work.

They’re nice and close through the choctaw. It looks great.

Thanks, cameraman, for totally missing that lift. From what I could see, as they exit, there’s a really nice position with her doing the splits over his boots as he’s in a spread eagle. The geometry of it is just fascinating.

Wow, he’s really into this – look at him move as the third and final piece of music plays! He’s really selling the enthusiasm here, more than she is. He is freaking IN IT. I love that.

I love the enthusiasm, love the speed. She seemed a little hesitant, but he nailed it.

So, one of the announcers is totally agreeing with me. He calls this program more “quintessential Latin.” He also noticed Evan’s spark in the second half of the program. Also, Christopher Dean choreographed this – no wonder I liked it better than Papadakis and Cizeron’s.

Score

Technical elements: 35.97Presentation: 36.39Total: 72.66

This puts them in second place, right where they should be. Wow, their technical score is 7 points behind Papadakis and Cizeron. Again, clearly I know fuck-all about ice dancing. Only about 2 points behind in presentation, though! Nice. I feel like these two keep having to prove themselves, year after year…and they keep pulling it off. I admire that about them.

Ekaterina Bobrova & Dmitri Soloviev | Russia

These two are skating to rhumba, samba, and samba. Everyone is. I don’t know why I’m still bothering to report this.

Damn, she’s got a fringe game, too. Look at those purple fringe earrings! They clash with the lovely cobalt of her dress, though. I don’t like these earrings, you guys. Sorry. (I’m making a point not to comment on physical appearance in any negative way, but earrings are a choice, unlike your body type or eye color or face shape.)

That cinches it, you guys. There was definitely a “cool colors only” memo for the ladies circulated prior to the season.

They’re knocking out their twizzles right off the bat. Nice, with good speed in the first two. Teensy bit slower on the third, but they kept it synchronized.

Okay, they hit their poses perfectly at the end of the first piece of music. But a hair before the second piece played, dude launched into the up-tempo choreography. I know it’s all muscle memory and adrenaline at this point, but I wonder…can’t you hear that the music hasn’t started again yet?

So these two started with a slow song and are picking up the tempo with the second piece of music. This is clearly NOT what the other couples have done. They’ve all started with a bang, and put their slow tempo song in the middle. Interesting. This seems a more natural progression, though, to get the audience into it.

In the second half of this, they’re looking a little slow.

Now we’re into their third music selection. It sounds like someone is beatboxing to a samba rhythm. This could either work really well or…not. The audience digs it. They perked up and are totally clapping with the music.

Their lift looks…nice. Just…nice. It’s a little slow and I feel like I’ve seen that exact same lift from them before, in past seasons.

Score

Technical elements: 35.78Presentation: 36.56Total: 72.34

They’re in third now, behind Chock and Bates! Their technical mark is a smidge (the technical term) behind Chock and Bates. Their presentation score is a smidge above Chock and Bates. Overall, there’s a super-teensy margin between second and third. It’s obvious who’s going to walk away with the gold, but second place is a fierce battle.

That’s the end of the 2017 Cup of China short dance! Who’s going to win that close race for second place?

If you just can’t get enough, check out the rest of my 2017 skating posts:

Welcome to my coverage of the Skate Canada 2017 men’s free skate! Still no wine, but that’s because it’s only 12:30 in the afternoon. What am I, an alcoholic? I am committed to being deeply unhealthy so far, since I had a lemon-filled donut for breakfast. Hopefully watching these athletic dudes will spur me to get outside and go for ...

Welcome to my coverage of the Skate Canada 2017 men’s free skate! Still no wine, but that’s because it’s only 12:30 in the afternoon. What am I, an alcoholic? I am committed to being deeply unhealthy so far, since I had a lemon-filled donut for breakfast. Hopefully watching these athletic dudes will spur me to get outside and go for a run after this. But first things first. Let’s see how the men’s competition at Skate Canada wrapped up. If you’d like to follow along, here’s the video I watched on YouTube. There is absolutely no commentary – it’s just you and the skaters. If you missed the short program post, you can catch up here.

Men’s Free Skate

Jorik Hendrickx | Belgium

I still love Belgian beers. Nothing has changed in the past 72 hours. Just saying, in case anyone wondered about my beer allegiances.

He’s skating to “Concerto de Aranjuez” performed by Il Divo. I can work with this. I both like and am kind of annoyed by Il Divo. A seeming contradition, I know.

Yikes, he stumbled on a solo triple axel. And double yikes, because I stumbled on typing it and ended up with “tirple” axel.

He has good speed in the combo spin. I don’t know why this has become a thing with me, but the older I get, the more I like to see the basic skating skills done really well. The quads? Hell, every up-and-coming 17-year-old can do ’em these days – they have to. But what those kids don’t have yet is musicality, flow, attention to detail. They’ll get there, but right now, I enjoy seeing skaters who’ve taken the time to develop skills other than quads.

A little slow in the footwork sequence, but the music is also slow right here. When a faster flamenco beat kicked in, his speed improved – he’s really pacing things to the music. I get it now.

I feel like HE feels the music, but he’s not really connecting with the audience. It’s like he’s behind glass, and I’m not invited in.

There are some odd music cuts here – we went from Il Divo to flamenco to an orchestral version of Aranjuez, then back to Il Divo. Not really a fan of the Frankenstein music mix in general.

Dude, you were SO CLOSE TO THE BOARDS on that second jump combo.

The guy’s doing well with his jumps overall – he’s that rare combo of technically proficient with good interpretation and style. Still, he’s not on the level of a Chan.

He emotes like crazy, and it’s easy to see he’s feeling something. I just keep asking myself why I don’t feel what I felt when I watched Patrick Chan or Jason Brown. They felt their music, too, but there was more of a connection with me (even though I didn’t like Brown’s music). What’s missing here? Jorik has all the elements, there’s just something missing in his audience connection. I love the speed, style, and flow of his skating. Like a vampire, however, I need to be invited in.

Scores

Technical elements: 75.23Presentation: 80.00Total: 155.23

He’s currently in first place! Wow, see, his presentation score is so much higher than his technical score. He’s really elegant, with great line and flow, and the judges can see that. He did have a few wobbles, so that’s probably knocking down his technical score. Overall, though, I think this guy is so close to being great. I wonder what he does in exhibitions, if he’s able to loosen up and invite the audience in a bit more. Will investigate…

Alexander Samarin | Russia

Sorry, buddy, looks like I got your eyes closed in my screenshot above. But oh holy Jesus, what is he wearing? It looks like there’s a sheer bit with black overlay tracings on his right arm, and some weird flame overlays on the other arm and his stomach. Maybe with flappy bits? Then there’s a skull belt buckle. I’m confused, you guys.

He’s skating to “La Naissance de Yaha, The Unforgiven.” My confusion has not lifted.

Dang, he was spot-on with that opening quad.

Okay, so far, we’ve got some piano music that’s soft and classical-sounding. The costume is not making sense yet.

His quad toe was also spot-on. Looking good in the tech department. Yep, he just added a triple axel with a great landing.

Okay, now the piano music is growing darker, more dramatic, with an orchestra behind it. Seeming a bit more appropriate for the costume, but the flames and sheer thing still isn’t obvious. I feel like there’s a secret I’m supposed to know but don’t.

Now we have a deep-voiced male vocal – oh shit, you guys, this is a dramatic vocal version of “House of the Rising Sun.” What the hell was up with the soft piano in the beginning, then? This is really weird, you guys, but somehow very Russian.

I feel like we’re in the midst of a huge trend for slow, dramatic covers of popular songs. I LOVED THE SHIT out of Madison Hubbel and Zachary Donohue’s free skate last season, that had a slow, dramatic cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” so it can pay huge dividends. But you really have to be careful with it. I’m okay with an Animals cover, but I wish the whole program had been that. The rando classical attack in the beginning doesn’t work for me.

Hot damn, he timed that jump combo perfectly with a hard-rock crescendo. It just all exploded at the same time – that was a nice effect.

The choreography is a little weak here, you guys – lots of telegraphing, and cornering without the nicely raised arms I saw from him in the short program. This program feels like a bunch of jumps strung together and that’s pretty much it. Those jumps are well done, don’t get me wrong. But there’s really nothing going on in the meantime. You can do better, Alexander. You’re Russian. I know you have more drama in there somewhere.

Not bad in the footwork sequence! He needs to make the rest of his connecting steps more like this – and speed it all up a bit. He looks tired.

A bit slow for that last combination spin – speed it up, dude, your guitars are crescendoing! Yes, I said crescendoing.

Scores

Technical elements: 87.68Presentation: 78.36Total: 166.04

This puts him in first place – by sheer virtue of that technical score. He vaulted over Hendrickx by 12 points in the tech score alone! Wow. The problem is that jumps are carrying him – I’m not seeing much else going on in this program, but he’s only two points behind Jorik in the presentation score. What’s the lesson here? The jumps mean a lot. A whole lot.

Keegan Messing | Canada

I didn’t see this guy in the final group of the short program, so he must have had a fantastic short that earned his place in this final group here. Let’s have a look!

He’s skating to a Charlie Chaplin medley. Sounds promising!

You can really see the character from the get-go, with a smile and a yawn as the program opens. Yep, that’s Chaplin. Reminds me of Petr Barna’s bronze-winning long program (FREE SKATE, goddamn it, FREE SKATE) from Albertville in 1992.

Shit, he fell on his opening jump – that’s hard. Oh, shit, he totally tumbled on that second jump, too – wow, that was a crazy fall. On the plus side, the falls are so dramatic because he has so much speed going into them.

He nailed that combo! Phew. I’m relieved for him.

The Chaplin character is charming. He’s really carrying it well throughout. Good for him. Sometimes skaters start building a character and abandon it once they think the audience “gets” it. You have to commit without being annoying, and so far he’s doing a great job of that.

Whoa, another weird fall – kind of. He ground to a stop, and got his legs tangled up. Not an ice-plant, but a little distracting to the program nonetheless. Whoa, and then he went on to nail a triple/triple combo right after that. I wonder if it’s technique or excitement or nerves that’s tripping him up. Oh, crap, he popped what was surely supposed to be a triple axel.

The frustration is starting to show on his face. I feel for the guy! The audience is clapping with the music to give him some inspiration. Gotta love figure skating audiences!

The clapping worked! The smile is back on his face.

Nice Russian split! Have I mentioned that I love Russian splits?

He had nice speed in that last combo spin – finished with flair!

What a rough skate for this guy. But that’s part of what I admire about figure skaters, and athletes who perform in general. Their best and worst moments happen in front of strangers, and you have to recover quickly, and not let it get to you. The whole world is watching, so you can’t lose your shit.

Scores

Ouch – this bumped him down to fifth place. That’s fair, though. His jumps were all over the place. I like the fact that he went for a theme and played it through. He’s charming on the ice, and just needs some time to settle into those jumps. He’s got a great smile and charisma, so he could be a real audience favorite with some consistency.

Shoma Uno | Japan

He’s skating to Turandot – my favorite opera. Be still my heart! As it opens, this sounds like the instrumental Vanessa Mae violin version.

And we’re off to the races with a fantastic opening quad!

A bit wobbly on the follow-up, a triple loop.

Now we’ve got a spread-eagle into triple axel – that worked really well.

And now we’ve got two combination spins in a row. I feel like a bunch of these elements were just stacked together to get them out of the way. I’m not a fan of two combo spins together. Like, we get it. You can spin. Is there a good reason for this? Like, if you get dizzy, is it easier as a skater to get a couple out of the way at once?

He’s got some nice connecting footwork after those two spins.

Okay, now we’re out of the violin version, and into a sung version of Turandot’s most famous aria, “Nessun dorma.” It’s not Pavarotti – Domingo, maybe? I can’t tell. The vocal portion is a weird cut – we get the first two lines, which are just the song title “Nessun dorma / nessun dorma” – then they cut straight to the chorus – not a fan of that. It’s a pretty brief aria as it is, with verses that are only a couple lines. What was the benefit of having the Vanessa Mae second in the beginning, and skipping the vocal verse?

Dang, he was way tilted on that quad, but he saved it!

Choreographically, this isn’t really doing it for me. It’s way too much cornering and not enough actual stepping.

Whoa, he fell out of that jump, too. But then we get a quad/double combo – nicely done.

You guys, he feels disconnected from the music. Did he choose it? Or is he just kinda off tonight?

Wow, that was a fantastic triple axel jump combo there, followed by another combo. He’s finally pulling it together. Now we get a smile, and his speed is up! Maybe he did pick this music, but he was nervous in the beginning? Suddenly, the lightbulb switched on.

Oh holy hell, that spread-eagle where he bends over backward – that is FAN-FUCKING-TASTIC.

Good speed in that final combination spin.

…and he finished a teensy bit off the music.

He only got his shit together in last third of the program, it seemed. I feel like a lot of these guys get lost, choreographically, in the longer program. They seem really crisp and on in the short, but you give them an extra minute and a half, and they don’t seem to know what to do other than do lots of crossovers and jumps. I really want to see someone nail this from beginning to end.

Score

Technical elements: 106.32Presentation: 91.16Total: 197.48

Duh – even I can tell right away that’s a first-place score. That technical score is almost 20 points over Samarin! He’s 10+ points over Hendrickx, the only other stylistically gifted skater we’ve seen so far in this group. The judges love this kid. When he’s on, he’s on – but this program only seemed about half on. Holy crap, though, think about what this means score-wise. He’s capable of posting stratospheric marks if these went up by 10-20%! Olympic podium, watch out.

Patrick Chan | Canada

He’s skating to “Hallelujah” performed by Jeff Buckley, you guys. Oh holy Jesus, I can see this working really well for him. I love that both his programs are in the folk/rock genre. It suits him.

Every movement is so gentle, so on the music. It’s like he absorbed this song in his bones, like calcium.

Shit, he fell on the first quad.

And we’ve got a hand down on the next triple. Then he doubled the triple axel in a combination. When things don’t start off the way you planned, it is SO HARD to get them on track again.

That tiny jump on the lyric “major lift” – so simple, but so choreographically right. A little obvious, maybe – but it might have seemed like a missed opportunity not to do it, too.

A beautiful triple after a beautiful series of steps and choreographic elements. He had a time to rest and get his feet under him.

Another match of lyrics to movement – when Buckley sang “floor,” he pointed at the ice. It was blink-and-you’ll-miss-it, but it was there.

Shit, he doubled that triple axel. Doubled the next triple, too. Something’s not right. Is he hurt? Or just mentally not feeling it?

The audience is clapping for him. They know he needs a little help.

Something feels off. Maybe the missed jumps created emotional hesitancy, too. I feel like he’s not skating this one as confidently as he did the short program.

Still, good lord, his positions are fantastic, always so stretched through the arms and the fingers. Every spin, every extension, every everything.

He’s got a brave smile at the end, but he knows that wasn’t what he was looking for, not on home ice.

Let’s eavesdrop on the conversation with his coach in the kiss and cry. Ha ha, someone just threw a stuffed animal at him and it hit him in the head. He pantomimed falling over dead – so cute! Okay, he told his coach: “I’ve never done that, so that’s good – at least I’ve done it. Just tired. Yesterday, I had so much energy, and then today…nothing.” So that’s it – he’s tired, drained, and it compounded from jump to jump and took its toll in the overall performance, too. Phew! I was so worried he was going to say something was injured.

Score

Yee-ouch, he placed sixth in this free skate, but is third overall. I knew this was going to be rough, but now he’s off the podium unless Jason Brown totally flops. I hope this doesn’t hurt him too bad mentally. He seems cerebral, like the mental game is harder for him than the actual skating. I worry about skaters like that. Hell, I’m that way myself. It’s hard to be your own worst enemy, when you just can’t get out of your own way enough to let your talent shine. Patrick, I love you. I think we’d have a lot to talk about. Call me.

Jason Brown | USA

Erm, I’m not a huge fan of his look for this program so far. He’s wearing a blue bedazzled blouse, blue pants, and a super-slicked-back man-bun. I don’t judge based on outfit or looks, but the ensemble does need to reinforce the mood of a program. His music is “Inner Love” by Maxime Rodriguez, so let’s see what he has in store for us.

He has line and flexibility that go on for days. We can see it from his first steps. I just love that.

Ouch, he took a fall on the quadruple toe.

A little iffy on the triple axel landing, but he saved it!

This combination spin is great – good speed, amazing extension.

Damn, you guys – he’s the only man I can think of who makes a back spiral not a joke.

So far, this program is very soft. I’m liking it better for him than the Hamilton number. I wish it had a bit more pep, though. He does pep so well.

Excellent control and stretch in, literally, every movement. I hope there’s a way to reflect that in the score. It seems easy to overlook in the numbers game, but it SO sets him apart.

Yeah, this music is a tad…boring.

There’s a second triple axel in combination with a triple toe – beautiful.

Okay, the music is finally building – I like it better now. And he just nailed a triple lutz combo!

Holy Jesus, look at that spiral sequence – Michelle Kwan did hers the same way! He’s also throwing in a lot of the small, old-fashioned show-skater moves, like an Ena Bauer here, a stag leap there. These little things provide so much visual interest, and when you execute them as well as he does, it pays huge dividends.

Damn it, he popped that jump – a loop, it looked like. He might have been too close to the boards.

And another triple lutz combo – great!

Of course, it’s not a Jason Brown program without Russian splits!

Final combination spin – such good positions, fantastic stretch, and an illusion! That shit is money.

Scores

Jason Brown just won a silver medal! Woo-hoo! Congrats, Jason. Of course, Shoma Uno won the gold, and Alexander Samarin won the bronze. Brown’s presentation score is only two-tenths behind Chan’s. They have such different styles, but both so emotional and visually pleasing. I love that we have such variety like that, and that the judges reward both styles. I really wish he had that quad. Maybe by the Olympics? Or nationals? I want him to be a force to be reckoned with, but we also have Nathan Chen, a kid who’s got the style and the jumps. We’ll have to see how this rivalry shapes up as we get closer to the end of the season.

That’s the end of the men’s competition! Do you agree with these results?

Welcome to my coverage of the Skate Canada 2017 men’s short program! No wine this time, damn it, just a big glass of water. But you can’t have big glasses of wine every night or you’re just a fancy alcoholic. I have to say, the men are probably my least favorite of the four figure skating disciplines (sorry, guys). But ...

Welcome to my coverage of the Skate Canada 2017 men’s short program! No wine this time, damn it, just a big glass of water. But you can’t have big glasses of wine every night or you’re just a fancy alcoholic. I have to say, the men are probably my least favorite of the four figure skating disciplines (sorry, guys). But I’m excited because this competition includes Jason Brown and Patrick Chan, two artistic skaters I really enjoy. Let’s see how they fare. If you’d like to follow along, here’s the video I watched on YouTube. There is absolutely no commentary – it’s just you and the skaters.

Men’s Short Program

Michal Brezina | Czech Republic

I thought this was a man-bun at first, but it’s just a ponytail. I have a feeling this ties into his music, Japanese drums.

He opened with his jump combination, and telegraphed it for what felt like a really long time. But he pulled it off, so props. It’s not like I could go out and do that, so it feels kinda wrong to nitpick telegraphing. That combo was timed with the music really well, too – super-effective use of the drum beat.

Wow, his triple axel was so open and airy! Sometimes you see these guys and they spin super fast and tight. Not this dude…that jump looked like the exact opposite of fast and tight, but not in a sloppy way. Pretty sure this means he’s used to doing a whole other rotation while in flight.

I’m not digging the glittery dragons and things on his shirt. It’s kind of distracting. I’m wishing he went full ninja and just wore all black.

A little slow in the combo spin. Come on, buddy, pick up the pace.

I’m really liking the music, but I want more speed and some emotion. He has some weak fling-your-arms-out moments in the choreography, but when you’re skating to strong music like this, those arm movements really need to be punched.

Triple jump – whoa, stumbled out of it. Not so good in the do-or-die short program.

He’s got nice extension in his legs when he spins, but I want him to spin faster. He ended right on beat with the music – yay!

Overall, I think he needs to pull from the pairs skating playbook and sell this a little harder. Really emphasize those movements, the arms especially, and keep ’em crisp like snap peas. Or like a ninja, which is a much better simile.

Scores

Technical elements: 42.09Presentation: 38.25Total: 80.34

Overall, this puts him in second place. Shit. Now I’m gonna have to back and watch the first group to see who’s ahead of him. And I thought I was being so clever and time-saving my skipping to the final group.

Jorik Hendrickx | Belgium

Wow, a Belgian! I love your guys’ beers. Just sayin’. Also, you have the hardest name to spell. I had to double-check it, like three times.

He’s skating to “Je suis malade” performed by F. di Cello. I am not familiar.

Whoa, this dude is super-emoting from the first note – the total opposite of Brezina. The song is a French ballad, which could go really wrong or really right. We shall see.

That triple axel was a tiny bit wobbly.

Nice speed in the combo spin! Wow, then, like, another combo spin. And another spin, just for good measure. I wonder why he triple-stacked ’em like that.

Okay, the super-emotey hands-to-the-head thing is getting on my nerves. I know it’s an easy way to convey emotion when you’re far away from the audience, but it’s too easy. And overdone. Sorry, this is just a pet peeve of mine.

Whoa, he hung onto that quad for the combo – good for him! I think he’s nervous. He clearly can land all these jumps, but tonight, it’s just a bit shaky.

Nifty footwork coming out of that triple loop!

So, half his footwork sequence is set during an a capella part of the song – interesting choice. I think it draws attention to this part of the program, and it does look like footwork is one of his strengths. I support this decision. Check it out – an illusion! Yay! Decent speed through this footwork, too. Looks like he is REALLY this music. Either that or he’s a good actor. Either one will serve you well in figure skating, so good for him.

Scores

Technical elements: 41.89Presentation: 40.19Total: 82.08

This puts him ahead of Brezina, which I get. His style is more developed, and he’s got more difficult choreography, and although I’m on the fence about the emoting and the song, he did his best to sell this, and I dig that about him. Plus, his country makes amazing beer, so I’m gonna back him as a way of saying thanks.

Alexander Samarin | Russia

Whoa, this guy’s shirt looks like blue plastic wrap…or like those mattress storage bags where you suck all the air out. It’s that tight and shiny.

I’m a little confused and a little afraid. His music is listed as “Moonlight Sonata, I’m No Angel.” I will try to be positive.

But seriously, can we just pause for a moment to say how fucking incredible “Moonlight Sonata” is? I listened to it on endless repeat for, oh, months while finishing up The Dante Deception – one of my characters is obsessed with it, and now I am, too. Sorry, Alexander Samarin. I’ll shut up and let you skate now.

He hasn’t even jumped yet, but I’m really liking the way he holds his arms. It’s controlled and graceful – not punching the air, not limply raising them up for a crossover because that’s what you’re supposed to do. He turns an otherwise throwaway motion into something that caught my eye. Good on you, dude.

Whoa, a little shaky on the second jump of his combo! But he held on, and it hit right with the beat of the music. Yes, I said beat. At the moment he landed the jump, “Moonlight Sonata” switched to some dude’s vocal. Oh, man, this is one of those songs that takes a piece of classical music and puts words to it. Not sure I’m wild about the pairing. Seems kinda like caviar and Cheetos at the moment, but let’s see how he works it.

Nice positions in the combo spin, but I already expected that based on his superior arm-raising skills.

Whoa, that triple axel was as crooked as the American pharmaceutical industry. I cannot believe he saved that. It looked pretty awkward, though, so he’s gonna get a big rocked on the grade of execution for that.

Oh, he’s singing along with the song! I love that. So charming. He is INTO IT.

Decent footwork…I think he really likes this part of the music. His energy level just went up. The choreography could be giving him more to work with. And he needs a tad more speed. He’s got the emotion down pat, though.

Scores

Technical elements: 46.40Presentation: 37.62Total: 84.02

This puts him in first place. Hmm. Even he’s shaking his head, like, no way, that’s not right. He had a couple stumbles here, so I’m not really sure what’s putting five points head on technical elements. Grade of execution on other stuff, maybe? He’s got the lowest presentation score of the three dudes in this group so far, which I find odd. I think he’s definitely competitive with the previous two style-wise. Clearly, this is why I’m not a figure skating judge.

Jason Brown | USA

In all honesty, Jason is the reason I chose to cover the men’s skate here at Skate Canada. I love this guy. I will try to remain unbiased as we go through his program, though. But seriously, in a totally unbiased way, I fucking love this guy.

His music is called “The Room Where It Happens,” which means we’re doing Hamilton.

His smile, you guys – look at that smile as he takes the ice. It’s genuine. This is a man who loves what he does. He’s out there for the fun of it. I admire that so much.

Ooh, he turned out of his triple axel slightly, but had such a nice arm flourish at the end. Mad style props, but a teensy hit on grade of execution.

Who else even bothers to do a stag leap anymore? JASON FUCKING BROWN.

Triple lutz with the hand over the head – nice!

Stupid-good extension on the catchfoot spin. Ditto for his Russian splits.

Flawless combo! You go, dude.

Nice footwork, but it’s a little slow. I’m guessing that’s because it’s so early in the season. Everyone is still getting to know their programs, especially in competition.

Holy shit, that was a fast scratch spin at the end! Wow.

I hate to say it, you guys, but I’m not feeling this program. I don’t think the jazz-inflected hip-hop Broadway thing is his jam. Or maybe this just wasn’t the right song choice. The song didn’t play to his strengths – it fell flat for me. The audience seemed to like it, so maybe I’m just off? I mean, I totally appreciate everything he does, so I’d have been clapping madly were I in the audience, too. This is the same way I felt about the Russian pair who skated to La La Land…it just didn’t work for me – something got lost in translation.

Score

Technical elements: 45.64Presentation: 45.07Total: 90.71

Wow, he’s in first place! Holy shit. I was kind of nervous for him, but phew. He’s a bit below Samarin on the tech score, but Samarin’s jumps were harder, so that explains it. Brown scores mad points for grade of execution on, like, breathing, so that’s how he keeps up. He rocked everyone else hard on presentation. What was that Sojourner Truth quote I heard on an episode of The History Chicks yesterday? “I will make the United States rock like a cradle.” Or words to that effect. Yes, that is what Jason Brown does to most of the competition artistically and on grade of execution. Ironically, this is the only program of his I’ve seen that didn’t move me at all. I don’t know what to make of this.

Patrick Chan | Canada

His music is “Dust in the Wind,” you guys. I can totally see him pulling this off. I’m feeling the ’70s rock this week. I heard “Whiskey in the Jar” for the first time the other night (I know, I live under a rock) and I freaking loved it. Not the Metallica version, the original Thin Lizzy one. Anyhoo, I’m psyched about this music choice for Patrick.

Also, can I just say how stoked I am that his outfit has no bedazzling on it?

Oh, fuck, you guys. This is spot-on from the first note. The long, slow circle at the beginning…he’s already got me. This guy has artistry in his snot, and you can quote me on that.

That lean, you guys – that lean to the right, timed just with the first lyric. I can’t even. It’s Jordan Catalano all over again.

He nailed the quad in his combination, but ended up leaning a little too far backward on the triple. He held on, though! Phew.

The other triple (flip?) is rock solid. If it’s possible to describe something as powerful and gentle at the same time, that jump was it.

And one rando in the audience goes “Whoo!” during his camel spin.

Look at those arm movements when the strings kick in. Part of this is just kick-ass choreography, but it wouldn’t work if he didn’t know how to express it.

This is a gold-medal program. Unlike, say, the Christina Aguilera disaster from the pairs winners.

He’s a little tilted on that triple axel…I bet he’s nervous, too. But even with a couple bobbles, I’d still take this guy over anyone who’s come before in this competition.

Score

Technical elements: 48.01Presentation: 46.42Total: 94.43

This puts him in first, natch. I mean, come on. Was there a doubt? He’s a few points over Brown in the technical score, which makes sense. He’s only about one point higher in the presentation mark, which I find a bit odd. Normally I wouldn’t, but this program of Brown’s seemed oddly lacking in connection with the music and the audience. Chan FTW.

Shoma Uno | Japan

He’s skating to “Winter” from Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. I’m a sucker for Vivaldi. On the down side, it’s one of those classic skating pieces of music that has been done many, many times. It’s hard to bring something new to it.

This guy has such an intense artsy vibe – the hair, the outfit, his stance. I dig it.

Super solid quad – amazing technical ability.

Ugh, I’m not wild about the curved leg position for that camel spin. I’m sure it’s an edge thing – usually when I don’t understand something (like the unflattering raised-leg death spiral), it has to do with edges.

He’s got a lot of quick turns that aren’t jumps or spins – it goes really well with Vivaldi.

Okay, now we’re getting to the super-famous fast part of “Winter.” He’s using to build speed and emotion. I hope he can make this pay off!

He doubled the second jump in his combo. Still super solid and impressive, but there’s a point or two lost, I imagine.

He uses his hands a lot, and it’s mostly effective, but the actual choreography for the movements leaves a tad to be desired.

Ugh, the famous fast part kicked in and he went into a spin. I’d so prefer for this part to be footwork, not spins.

Overall, I liked this, quite a bit, but I didn’t love it. I think it struck me as a bit fussy after Chan’s performance, which had emotional heft and simplicity at the same time. This didn’t really have either of those. It did have good speed, pretty good choreography, and rock-solid jumps. It was just the placement of the steps to the music and some of the arm movements that bugged me. Overall, this kid is so solid.

Scores

Technical elements: 57.12Presentation: 46.50Total: 103.62

That’s enough for first! Wow. His technical score is 10 freaking points higher than Chan’s. I really need to figure out how that works, because your average viewer (me) can’t understand a 10-point difference. Less than 5? Sure. But 10? I need convincing. Also, they were both in the 46s for their presentation score. Pretty sure I would have given the edge to Chan by at least a full point, just because his movements paired so much better with his music. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

I enjoyed watching these guys more than I thought I would. I’ll post the long program write-up sometime this weekend. Brown, Chan, Uno – who’s going to take home the gold?

That’s the end of the men’s short program! Who do you think kicked ass?

Here we go with part two of my pairs skating coverage from the 2017 Rostelecom Cup. I am really digging getting back into skating. I’m also digging my big glass of red wine, but hey, the two are not mutually exclusive. You’re probably not curious, but in case you are, this is what I do when the hubby’s at work. ...

Here we go with part two of my pairs skating coverage from the 2017 Rostelecom Cup. I am really digging getting back into skating. I’m also digging my big glass of red wine, but hey, the two are not mutually exclusive. You’re probably not curious, but in case you are, this is what I do when the hubby’s at work. Eat mayonnaise on everything, drink red wine, listen to Ellie Goulding, and watch figure skating. If the hubby were home, we’d be watching Dexter. Not sure what this says about us, so let’s move on.

If you missed the short program, click here. If you’re caught up, let’s dive into the long program. Shit, they call this the free skate now, don’t they? I need to get with the times. If you’d like to follow along, here’s the video I watched on YouTube. The commentary is in Spanish, which I find amusing. Salchow is salchow in any language.

Pairs Free Skate

Sumire Suto & Francis Boudreau-Audet | Japan

Oh, shit, a Beatles medley. I will not hold it against them. I will not hold it against them.

Hmm. Very traditional outfits here – navy and high-necked and sparkly. I would have liked to see something a bit more casual with a Beatles medley. Wait a second, this is a weird Moulin-Rouge-style uber-dramatic Beatles cover medley. I wonder if this is a trend this year – first we had the Tears for Fears cover in the short program, now this.

Yikes, there was a bit of a collision on the split triple twist there. The Spanish lady commentating didn’t seem to think it was a problem, though, so maybe I’m over-interpreting.

She doubled her jump on the side-by-side triples. Got the throw though, at a dramatic point in the music. Good for her!

Whoa, that lift looked like it went really wrong. He didn’t get his elbows locked and she was just kind of perched over his head. Did that look off to you guys, too? Again, the Spanish commentator lady didn’t say anything, so maybe it only looks wrong to me.

Okay, that was a nice touch – an ice-dance-style straightline lift where she’s standing tall above him like a figurehead. When she comes down, they lock hands and go straight into a throw, which she held onto with a hand down.

Is that a smile I see on her face? Is she the Beatles fan? She’s really cute.

Okay, this is the kind of death spiral I’m not a fan of – right leg high and left leg bent rather than straight. No me gusta.

Wow, that’s some surprisingly good unison on the side-by-side spins. So many couples are off – it’s nice to see them nail it.

It was totally obvious choreography, but I smiled when she placed her hand in his as the lyrics said “I wanna hold your hand.”

The Spanish commentator lady thinks they did mucho mejor que something. This is where it really helps to know nouns.

Scores

Technical elements: 39.14Presentation: 48.73Total: 87.87

Did they get rocked on the technical or did the judges really like the presentation? With the bobbles on the jumps and the lift, I’m guessing they got really rocked on the technical. These two remind me a little of Kyoko Ina and Jason Dungjen from back in the day. Both really good skaters, but I never had a strong sense of their personal style. I hope these guys can develop that more as they get better and better.

Marissa Castelli & Mervin Tran | USA

Ooh, her dress is mauve and sparkly. I dig it. And they clasped hands in a little show of encouragement before taking their starting positions. Say it with me now…awww.

They’re skating to “Woman” by Shawn Phillips. Not familiar. We’ll have to see how this plays out. Remember their disastrous music choice in the short.

Really good speed, you guys. And a nice split triple twist. Bonus points for the high kicks on the way in. And by “bonus points,” I mean in my imaginary scorebook. Doubt the judges reward it.

Erm, those were double toes instead of triple toes.

This is a nice lift – oh crap, now we have the splits-over-the-head thing. Really, guys? Really?

Wow, she held that throw – “salvado,” said the commentator. Saved it. I understand that much Spanish at least.

Good unison on the pairs spin.

I’m not sure I’m digging this song. It’s meant to be soft, but the voice is jarring in parts. One second it’s super deep, then it’s a little shrill. It’s hard to explain. Just watch and see what you think.

Wow, they’re all over the place with these second side-by-side jumps this time. Yikes.

Man, she hung onto that second throw, too. She’s fighting for it.

She’s doing the look-pained-as-a-visible-form-of-emoting thing, but it’s not as over-the-top as the Italians in the short. I’ll allow it. It is figure skating, after all.

Very nice position in the last lift! The catchfoot thing actually works here, I think.

Holy shit, that was the most creative death spiral entrance I’ve ever seen. She skated around him and leaned backward, further than I thought she would, and almost further than I thought she could maintain, as if she were going into the death spiral on her own. Then they caught each other’s hands and went into the traditional death spiral. Wow. Just when you think it’s the same every time…

They were a teensy bit off the music at the end, but nice energy throughout and good speed. Yay!

Scores

Technical elements: 57.54Presentation: 58.62Total: 116.16

Just like the first couple, they got a little rocked on the technical because of the boo-boos. I think these two would be helped IMMENSELY by different music choices. They have speed and flow and these weird song choices are not playing to their strengths, like, at all. Maybe a pulsing sci-fi or thriller movie soundtrack or something. Techno seems too obvious. Get something orchestral but with a strong beat behind it, and I think they’ll really have something.

Miriam Ziegler & Severin Kiefer | Austria

Ooh, that’s a very nice sparkly navy dress for her! Like the deep side slits on the bodice. Not wild about his sparkly shirt, though. That’s just weird and untucked. This is skating, though. The dudes’ outfits are always pretty rough.

Nailed those triple salchows.

They’re skating to an orchestral version of “Yellow” by Coldplay. I really love this song. It totally works without the vocals.

Dang, that split triple twist was almost lateral. Was it meant to be that way? I can’t tell.

They nailed that second set of side by side jumps. Yeah, baby! [Update: during the replay, you could see he didn’t do the third jump in the sequence until he saw her start to do it. Miscommunication?]

OMG, you guys, this song is so great orchestrally. I’m loving the way it’s soft but with plenty of build and volume. It sounds like I’m talking about hair, but I’m not.

Wow, look at that back entrance to the hand-to-hand press lift – super hard. You can see them prepare it for a bit too long, but dang, I’ll give ’em a two-count because it looks hard as hell. Oh, honey, no, why the splits-over-the-head thing? Et tu, Austria? It’s okay, I still love you.

She’s on fire tonight – nailed that throw triple flip! At least I think it was a triple flip. Where’s the commentator when you need her?

Here’s another interesting way to enter the death spiral – with a shoot-the-duck entrance. I’d forgotten about this particular entrance. It’s not my favorite, but she made it work by getting really low on the knees.

Music has shifted now – we have a female vocal cover of “Fix You.” Please don’t be some terrible version that ruins the gorgeous mood of “Yellow.”

Nice unison on their side-by-side spins. Wow, they held that final sit spin for quite a few rotations. Impressive.

You know, I really love a good flip-out dismount from a classic overhead lift.

Oh, wow, that throw was fantastic with the music! Spot on.

I love the way it looks like she’s hugging him in their pair spin. These two are super cute. I’m a fan.

Scores

Technical elements: 57.49Presentation: 58.22Total: 115.71

This leaves them in second place, with, like, everyone else left to skate. I would have put them ahead of Castelli & Tran, but that’s just me. I really like this couple. Their programs had a similar sound and feel, which works for them. They were both lyrical covers, and where a shitty cover can break you, good ones can lift you up. I’d like to see what else they can bring, but for Olympic season, these are super solid programs.

Julianne Seguin & Charlie Bilodeau | Canada

They’re skating to “Where’s My Love?” by Syml. I am not familiar. Let’s see how this goes. Okay, a few notes in and it’s a piano ballad. They already had the slow, eerie Lorde cover in the short program. Is it showing enough depth to do another slow song?

That was a pretty high split triple twist. I like it.

They didn’t do so well on the side-by-side triple jumps. His timing is off.

That was a nice lift, mostly because there were no splits-over-the-head.

Damn, he stumbled again on the second set of side-by-side jumps. Calm down, dude. You got this.

There’s one of the death spiral variations I’m not too keen on – the one with a leg raised. I’m sure it’s required to hit an edge or something, but it’s just not pretty visually.

Aw, that was a nice sequence. It was just a couple of connecting moves where he picked her up and set her down and picked her up again and set her down. No throws, no lifts, just a little motion and connection, but it looked tender.

Holy crap, that was a cool entrance. He did a spreadeagle and then picked her up for an overhead lift. That looked amazing. SHIT, you guys, she slipped coming out of that. Could have been bad. Wow. Her heart must be racing!

Nope. Heart not racing. She is one cool customer because she just landed the throw triple loop. She’s a fighter.

I really like the choreography here. It’s subtle, and maybe not complex enough to do battle with the Russians, but come on…look at him brush his long hair out of his face. Is it choreography or just him? It fits either way, which I guess means stylistically this is spot-on for them.

Look how long they held that last lift in the air. They traveled pretty far across the ice, waiting for the right beat of the music for him to plunk her down. Again, a nice choreographic touch.

Score

Technical elements: 57.69Presentation: 61.41Total:119.1

They’re currently in first place, with all the Russians and the Italians yet to come. I like this piece. It made me like them together more than I did with the Lorde program. That one was just…distracting. This suited them better. It emphasized their connection better, too. If I were their coach, I’d try to go with a fast song for their short program. Really punch up the speed and the athleticism, and then keep this more lyrical side under wraps until the free skate.

Valentina Marchei & Ondrej Hotarek | Italy

I think they’re doing what Seguin & Bilodeau did, which is use the same mood and feel for both programs. In the short, they did a character piece with lots of facial expression and overacting. It can work, but it’s tough. Look at the opening pose above. You can guess what we’re in for. It could still work, but part of me is, like, ugh, didn’t we already do this?

The music is “Amarcord” by Nino Rota.

That was a pretty darn good split triple twist. She rotates really fast in the air.

She’s got a nice line. Not quite as polished as the Russians, what with the pointed fingertips and all, but I’d really like to see a different style from them. You know. For shits and giggles.

Oh, man, she fell on the side-by-side triple toes.

But she nailed the second side-by-side jumping pass! Good for her.

And now she nailed the next throw. After that initial fall, she’s nailing.

Okay, pantomiming isn’t all they’re doing for presentation, is it? They’ve got some speed and some technical chops, but dude, I really want to see more from them.

Not very good synchronization on on the pair spins. The Spanish commentator lady said something to that effect.

Well, okay, her character pretending to step on his character’s foot is pretty cute.

That was a nice leg position for her in that press lift. That was a pretty good lift sequence overall. No splits over the head. Phew.

And that was a nice connecting move after a tabletop lift there. She stood on his leg as a visual midpoint between lift-up and lift-down. A nice touch of choreography. Someone was thinking.

Damn, another triple throw nailed. She’s on fire.

They finished a few beats off the music, which is tough when you’re posing. It looks a little silly when you strike a pose and it’s already over. Such is the danger of posing.

Score

That’s good enough for first place; however, I’m not wild about this placement. I think the Canadians should have it. True, she hit her throws like no one’s business, but she had a fall and the style just isn’t there for me. At least not after the short, where we saw everything already. I think there’s more depth here, but someone’s falling asleep at the wheel when it comes to music and design.

Kristina Astakhova & Alexei Rogonov | Russia

Oh, oh, oh, her yellow dress is so pretty! I can’t even. That’s a really good color on her.

They’re skating to music from La La Land. My gut reaction? Ugh. We’ll see if they can help me overcome that.

Good side-by-side jumps, though.

A few happy hand raises and hip twists timed to the swing music. It’s almost pantomiming, but not quite.

Wow, that was a spectacular split triple twist. You go, guys. Also nice side-by-side triple salchows.

And a really good lasso lift (I think that’s what it’s called). They did a sort of extended dismount where he catches her leg. That’s a nice touch. Milk that move for all it’s worth. I approve.

I’m just not wild about this music. To use a metaphor, I feel like they’re trading on a currency that’s not valid in this country. La La Land has color-saturated rich visual backgrounds that give it a magic feeling. Here, we have Russian ads on the baseboards. It’s just not translating the way it does in an immersive movie experience. So the mood is getting lost for me and it’s not sucking me into their performance.

That was a great connecting move where she does the splits and he lays her over his leg. See? I’m all for moves that have the splits, as long as the crotch visibility factor is kept to a minimum. Let’s refer to this as CVF, shall we?

Two throws – one where she hung on and one where she two-footed.

Ooh, he did a catchfoot on the way into a death spiral. Never seen that before.

MINI RANT: Okay, they just did something that irritates me a bit. When you move half a second faster than your music and the slow section is about to switch to a fast section, JUST WAIT before adopting the big smile and jazz hands of the fast section. I know that’s how you’ve rehearsed it and you’re probably relying on muscle memory right now, but that half second makes you look silly. All I hear is the last note of the slow section, but you’re already smiling and emoting like its carnival in Rio.

The final pair spin is slow, but the music is crescendo-ing. The speed will probably improve over the season as they get more familiar with the program and iron out the kinks.

Scores

Technical elements: 67.46Presentation: 64.51Total: 131.97

Yep, that’s enough for first by a pretty good margin over the Italians. Although I wasn’t wild about the theme, I still really like their line and their overall look. Some really good connecting moves here, and I’m a fan of their lifts and triple twist. Really, the only problem I had was the music choice. Their execution was great.

Ksenia Stolbova & Fedor Klimov | Russia

Everyone’s favorite man-bun is back! Man, every time I see these two I just want to keep looking. They’re so visually striking.

They’re skating to Carmen, which explains the black and red outfits. But look at the stark simplicity of her dress. And note the fact that HE’S NOT WEARING GOLD BRAID. OMG, this is such a step forward. When was the last time someone skated to Carmen or a toreador-inspired piece and did not wear either a bolero jacket or gold braid? I feel like they should get an extra point just for their admirable costume restraint. Can someone please make that happen?

That was a good split triple twist, but yikes, she fell out of that throw triple flip.

These two skate with the most unison of all the couples. I don’t know how they do it, or how long they’ve been together. But so many of their movements, from strokes to the extension when they hold out their arms, is in unison. Hats off to these two for that.

Eek, now she fell on the side-by-side jumps. One of those awkward falls, too, where you think she might save it and then, nope, her foot goes out from under her. Hang in there, lady.

This is Carmen, so you have to expect this, but I could do without the repetition of the hands-sliding-down-her-sides-to-convey-sexuality. You know, in case you didn’t already know Carmen was kind of a hooker. You’re already wearing a skintight dress, honey. We get it. It’s the choreographer I have the issue with, not her, but you get my drift.

That was a beautiful back press lift. Not super crazy about the bent leg part of the lift. Something about the leg angle just looks off, inelegant, to me.

Oh, check that leg extension from a deep-knee bend as she goes into that death spiral. Me likey.

Shit, that’s a really really nice rotational life that went straightline for a few beats before going rotational again. Mixing it up. I like it. Shit, that’s another neat-o lift! She did a cartwheel and then he lifted her up. Super cool.

Oh, man, she fell on that last throw. That’s rough, especially in front of a home crowd. Here’s the good news. They finished, and he’s laughing and smiling. He’s trying to comfort her instead of being pissed. I like that. She looks like she’s in shock, but he seems totally chill. I think I would like this dude in real life. He just has a gentle, comforting air about him.

Score

This puts them in first place. Wow, their presentation mark is 8 points higher than the last couple. I get it, though. These guys just have something. I get the sense that they work really hard together, but that they don’t like each other much. I don’t get a sense of real emotion between them, but they’re both so good they can fake it. I’m finished being Freud now. We can move on.

Evgenia Tarasova & Vladimir Morozov | Russia

Look at her dress! More yellow! The polka dots are super cute. I wonder what they’re skating to.

OH HOLY JESUS, TELL ME IT’S NOT TRUE. “Candyman” by Christina Aguilera? Are you fucking kidding me? In an Olympic year? I will shit twice and die if this program wins the Olympics.

Oh, man, you guys, this is stylistically terrible. If they wanted a ’40s jazz feel, why not just do “Bei Mir Bist du Schoen”? This is just a shitty rip-off of “Boogie-Woogie Bugle Boy.”

That was the biggest split triple twist EVER. Call Guiness. Apparently the shittiness of the music has not affected their ability to kick ass. I mean, look. These two barely fit in the same frame when I took a screenshot.

This song is destroying any style they have. I can’t take them seriously while this music is playing.

Wow. That throw was un-fucking-believable. She flew. And the landing was so smooth and secure. Mad props to her knees.

Fantastic side-by-side triple/double/double toes. They are really bringing it technically. If only I didn’t want to stab my own ears with a pencil.

And here we go with a lift that’s technically very good, but has splits-over-the-head and thus a high CVF.

The music has now shifted. We’ve gone from Xtina to a male vocal cover of “Fever.” Our situation has not improved. Who put this together? Did no one say, hmm, this…how do I put it…does not flatter them at all?

I’m serious. The style game is weak in this program. The connecting moves aren’t there because the music isn’t giving them anything to work with.

Those were pretty good side-by-side spins.

Another music change. Another jazzy female vocal. Kelly Clarkson? More Xtina? Who knows, but it’s bad. This is way too jumbled. Are we doing modern-sounding covers? Are we keeping it old school? I’m so confused. This is not blending well. Remember those “Will it blend?” videos. This does not blend.

Now we have a song that may or may not be Elvis. There are way too many tempo, time period, and song changes. It’s literally destroying my ability to watch the program. And also my will to live. It’s that bad. They call this a free skate, but this demonstrates the inherent peril of freedom. You are free to fuck up.

They finished way too far off the music. Ugh. This is a hot mess. I love her dress. She is so freaking cute. And they kick ass technically. But I am not going to enjoy watching this program all year. Please, for the love of God, someone, find their coach and do something to fix this. They deserve better.

Score

That’s a monster score, and technically well deserved. I have no idea why the judges rewarded them with this presentation mark. The program felt disconnected and forced. It had weak choreography and few connecting moves of any interest. For my money, their jumps and throws are out of this world but the choreography of Stolbova and Klimov is far more entertaining and difficult. But what do I know? I’m just a drunk American spectator.

That’s the end of the pairs competition! Let’s see if I can get around to the men’s competition next.

You guys may or may not know that I used to be a figure skating nut. This was back in the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding days. I lost touch with it during college, but recently realized I miss watching it. Like, a lot. Writing is very two-dimensional compared to skating. I love watching skating because it’s so immersive. It creates a ...

You guys may or may not know that I used to be a figure skating nut. This was back in the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding days. I lost touch with it during college, but recently realized I miss watching it. Like, a lot.

Writing is very two-dimensional compared to skating. I love watching skating because it’s so immersive. It creates a total performance using music, movement, expression, momentum, costumes, mood, and everything else skaters have at their disposal. I’m in need of a little creative inspiration myself, so I’m diving back in by blogging recaps of the ISU Grand Prix of Figure Skating. And by “blogging,” I mean making stream-of-consciousness bullet point notes as I’m watching.

The first event of the series was the 2017 Rostelecom Cup in Moscow. I watched this on YouTube since I don’t have cable (and I’m not sure if it aired at all here in the U.S.). Here’s the video I watched – feel free to follow along.

Pairs Short Program

Sumire Suto & Francis Boudreau-Audet | Japan

I’ve never seen these two before! They skated to pleasant if unremarkable Andre Rieu violin music.

He doubled his jump during the side-by-side triples pass. The Spanish commentator went “Mmmm” like when your mom is disappointed with you.

These two seem a little nervous. Their movements are kinda stiff, their jumps a little wobbly, their lifts a little slow.

I found myself watching him more than her, which is the opposite of what usually happens for me. Maybe it’s because he’s tall and wearing black, and she’s short and wearing white? She kind of blends into the ice, whereas he’s commanding my attention.

MINI RANT: It is SO AWKWARD when the woman does the splits over the guy’s head. It’s hard, I get it. It requires insane balance, strength, and flexibility. But can we just agree this is not ever going to be flattering, no matter the degree of difficulty? I am so over this move. I feel bad even posting the image below, but you guys have to see what I’m talking about. It’s really hard to visualize if you haven’t seen it before.

Scores

Technical elements: 24.12Presentation: 24.81Total: 48.93

I’m no judging expert. I barely have a handle on how this system works, other than the fact that you have to catchfoot-everything to get max points. But this seems fair. Their technique is on par with their presentation; both are competent and neither stands out yet, which means they have lots of room to grow and develop a signature style.

Marissa Castelli & Mervin Tran | USA

Yay, Americans! Actually, I have zero country-based loyalty. I follow my heart, and my favorites have included Russians, French, and Americans over the years. So never mind.

These two have pretty good speed, and a nice split triple twist.

Oh holy Jesus, what is this music? This is a HORRIBLE mash-up of flamenco and a gospel choir and “Fallin'” by Alicia Keys. It started out all right, with just the flamenco, but then it went horribly awry. Who told them this sounded good? It’s like a Hieronymus Bosch painting for my ears. Seriously, you guys…it’s an Olympic year. You have to do something about this music, if possible. It is only going to hold you back.

Damn, she missed the throw, which threw off their mood and timing. Things were going well up to that point, very crisp and clean. That crispness seems like their strength.

These costumes aren’t really working for me. There are lots of oddly large rhinestones and weird cutouts for her, and a strange diagonal neckline for him. These outfits feel too fancy if they were going for an R&B vibe, but then again, that vibe was ruined by the horrific remix. I don’t know what they wanted me to feel when I heard this. The costumes are not making this clearer.

Scores

Again, I know nothing about judging, but this seems fair. They’re a few points above the previous couple, and they should be. Their skating feels faster and more secure. She missed the throw, so their presentation score is higher, even though I think the technical score is their strong suit.

Miriam Ziegler & Severin Kiefer | Austria

Look, someone with the name Severin! You can meet my Severin in The Dante Deception. Okay, seriously, it’s not about me.

Interesting music – a duet covering The Proclaimers’ “500 Miles,” very Irish-sounding. Very post-Riverdance. I can’t help wondering if the original wouldn’t have been a better choice, though, because it’s more energetic.

Her dress has a little flash of yellow in the skirt. Cute!

That was a pretty good split triple twist. Hey, they made their triples, too! Doing pretty well here, guys.

They’ve got some decent footwork. It could be a little faster, a little peppier, a bit closer to the speed of the music here.

Say, that was a really nice lift – and they finished crisply on the end of the music. I like these two!

I have a feeling I’m going to be harping on what I’m supposed to think or feel about a program. This program is clearly meant to make me happy, and it achieved that.

Scores

Technical elements: 30.93Presentation: 28.42Total: 59.35

This seems fair. They did well, and this places them at the top. They’ve got more spunk and spark than they displayed here. I hope they can bring more of that out later, and maybe that presentation score will go up a point or two.

Kristina Astakhova & Alexei Rogonov | Russia

These guys are skating to Adigio in Something or Other, which isn’t surprising. Russian pairs and lugubrious adagios go together like peanut butter and chocolate.

They have navy blue costumes, just like Castelli & Tran, but these are way more elegant. Simpler. His is still a little fru-fru, but this is skating, and you have to play the game. This is one instance where you can indeed hate the game, not the player.

Wow, they nailed the side-by-side triple salchows. Look at the way she held her hands as she went into that triple jump – they’re placed and stretched just perfectly. Now that’s attention to detail.

That was a fucking fantastic split triple twist. Look how high above his head she is! I used to think this was just a throwaway move. Everyone had to do it, and it was super hard, but I never enjoyed it. I don’t know why, but now, I love this move.

MINI RANT: Why do so many of the Russian women wear those teensy briefs? I could be wrong, but it feels like most of the Americans wear, shall we say, fuller coverage shorts. Then you have the Russians, and more often than not, I feel like they’re one step away from a thong. Start watching. You’ll see it, too. Why? I’m just curious.

Oh, man, here we go with the splits-over-the-head thing again. Can we please stop? Ugh. This is just not a pleasing image, no matter how flexible or thin or beautiful you are (this woman is all three). I don’t care how hard it is to do. At least she changed positions within the lift pretty quickly. She really does have great extension. I promise I’ll stop with the splits pictures now.

Wow, that was a beautiful throw. He looked a little jerky, but we’re all watching her, so no harm, no foul. But let’s start trying to watch the guy during the throw, just for comparison’s sake.

Ugh, this music is very…Russian. Not the actual song or composer or performer. No, I mean that it’s a very Russian choice to skate to. The adagio has now given way to a Sarah Brightman version of Carmina Burana with some screechy violin. I love Sarah Brightman and I love Carmina Burana, but I’m not sure it all meshes together well. Overdramatized and lugubrious? Yep, definitely Russian.

Their final spin is way slow. Come on, you guys, it’s Carmina Burana. You have to pick up the pace. And…they finished after the music. This started really well, but the intensity kind of fell off toward the end. It’s early in the season, so this may be a training issue. Or they’re just not super comfortable with the program yet, which will come with time.

Let’s go back to the question of how this was supposed to make me feel. I know they wanted it to be dark and dramatic, but overall, they lacked the passion it needed. They didn’t sell it. This is ironic considering they’re coached by Artur Dmitriev (known for passion on the ice). These two are very technically proficient, fast, crisp, and sleek, but if they’re not feeling anything, I’m not feeling anything. It’s like admiring obsidian in a museum.

Hey, do you guys remember Artur Dmitriev? He and Natalia Mishkutenok were of one of my super favorite ’90s pairs.

Scores

Technical elements: 36.54Presentation: 30.60Total: 67.14

Looks like the judges maybe felt the way I do about the presentation. Not quite up to par with their technical ability. They can get there, I think. But look at the jump in point total from the previous couples. We’re in the big leagues now.

Valentina Marchei & Ondrej Hotarek | Italy

Let’s start with the clothes. These outfits are okay – a blousy red top and polka dot skirt for her, with a white top and black pants for him. They fit with the music, which is definitely familiar. YouTube says it’s “Tu vuo’ fa’ l’americano.” Light, bouncy, Italian – it definitely sets a mood.

Dang, those were pretty good side-by-side triple jumps.

Hmm. They’re playing characters here, and it’s very stylized. Lots of hand waving and pantomiming. I get that this is an accepted style and it kind of goes with the music, but it’s also kind of…ugh, exhausting.

Nice-she nailed that throw! But now I’m not wild about their lift position. At least she’s not doing the splits. But the bent-leg stag pose is a little weird to me. “Just ‘aight for me dog,” as Randy Jackson would have said.

That was an interesting entry to the death spiral. She was perched on his lap, doing the splits, and then she popped down and bam, it’s a death spiral. I dig it.

Slow start to the pair spin, just like the previous couple. Ha – now she’s doing the spin that Artur and Natalia made famous, right after Artur’s couple skates.

Now the music has morphed into a remix – same song, but with a techno beat. It’s funny how the judges shit on Elvis Stojko for using techno for his footwork sequences in the late 1990s, and now it’s like, whatever brings more viewers to the sport, cool, okay.

Score

Technical elements: 36.13Presentation: 32.35Total: 68.48

So these two are in first place over the cold but elegant Russians. Interesting style contrast here. Their technical scores are very close, but the judges gave the presentation nod to the Italians. I’m not sure I agree, but what do I know? These two looked more alive than the Russians, so maybe the energy and character acting paid off. Good for them, in that case.

Julianne Seguin & Charlie Bilodeau | Canada

Whoa, they’re skating to Lorde’s whack-ass cover of Tears for Fears’ “Everybody Wants to Rule the World.” Not sure how I feel about this.

That was a nice split triple twist. And nice side-by-side triple salchows. And a nice lift, with no awkward splits. It’s all nice, eh.

These two have good speed. Like the split triple-twist, this is something I undervalued before. Maybe it’s because of my experience writing and plotting, but I totally get the value of speed in enhancing the overall appeal of a program. Even if you don’t like the style, speed just makes things look more rehearsed and crisper. Maybe it also means you need more choreography to fill up your program? I don’t know. I’m spitballing here.

Wow, she did a single illusion spin when she came up out of that death spiral. There are not enough illusion spins in skating today.

Damn, they saved the throw for the end! She nailed it, too, right on the music. These two really project a strong, powerful, athletic vibe.

However, I’m not sure they’re capturing the darkness and the drama of this music. Power, yes. Mood, meh. They seem like happy people with positive energy, and it’s clashing a little with this music. He might be pulling off the vibe, but she’s not.

They ended right on the last beat of the music – nice, you guys. I have to be honest, though. The music was distracting. I had to watch this program twice, the first time because I was paying more attention to the song than to anything they were doing.

Score

Technical elements: 35.99Presentation: 31.07Total: 67.06

This puts them behind the Italians and the Russians. Technically, all three couples did what they sent out to do. No one fell, and they all had some slow parts to the program where their speed fell off. So it’s a relatively even playing field, and the judges are clearly valuing lighthearted character over something dark and brooding. Interesting.

Ksenia Stolbova & Fedor Klimov | Russia

Our first man-bun, you guys! Seriously, though, these two have a striking look. He reminds me a bit of ice dancer Ivan Bukin (whose kid is ice dancing in this competition). She is freaking gorgeous. They’re visually well suited for each other. Both have those long, lean lines.

They’re skating to a tango, “Besame Mucho” – suitable, given their look.

Hmm. Looks like a big of a collision on the split triple twist. The commentator lady said “bien,” though, so I guess it was all right.

Damn, she nailed that throw. And she has great extension. I love the name Ksenia, too. Just saying.

They have good speed in this middle section. They look nervous, though. Not a lot of emotional fire, considering this is a dance of passion.

Shit, she fell on the side-by-side triple toe. The short program is do or die, so I wonder how much this will hurt them.

Was that a grimace or a tango-appropriate emotion on her face?

Whoa, there are some really not good positions in this lift. I don’t like it when the women lay down over the guy’s arm while he’s holding her up. They look like dead fish or something.

Footwork sequence is a little slow here. They’re probably tired, it’s early in the season. Need more training and speed for the Olympics, you guys.

Okay, finally, we get some of that foot-wrapping tango footwork. Took them long enough.

Aaaand they finished on the music! But their expressions say it all. His face is blank and she looks super disappointed.

Score

This puts them in first place. Their presentation is pretty damn good, although they could use a little more speed and a little more emotion. That’s nitpicking, though, to be honest. This presentation score is leaps and bounds above the rest of the field.

Evgenia Tarasova & Vladimir Morozov | Russia

I love this guy’s hair – he’s a ginger! These two are like the pale inverses of Stolbova/Klimov. Both have that long, lean line. These two are the White King and Queen, though, while Stolbova and Klimov are the Black King and Queen.

Holy mother of God, that was the best split triple-twist of the night so far. Homegirl was halfway to the moon.

Eek, a little wobbly on those side-by-side triples. A step-out shouldn’t hurt them too much, considering Stolbova & Klimov had a fall.

Yep, she landed her throw. It looked like she might have had to fight a bit, but she held it.

That’s a nice position in that death spiral – very long and low. It seems like couples either “get” the death spiral, or they don’t. Sometimes the woman keeps one leg too high, or arches her back too much. It might just be a stylistic thing, but I prefer the way these guys do it – very long and low to the ice.

Finally, some speed in a pair spin! Thanks for bringing it, you guys.

Well, that’s an interesting lift entry. He picked her up by the hips and whipped her over his head. I like it. Not crazy about the bent-leg stag position, but whatevs. She’s not doing the splits, so I’m cool with it.

They’re skating to Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, which is good and bad. It’s a great piece of music, tailor-made for kick-ass footwork sequences. But it was already done SO WELL by the aforementioned Artur and Natalia at the 1994 Olympics. I still have this on VHS tape somewhere, but you guys can watch it here.

They finished with the music, but in kind of a weird place on the ice – shoved way into a corner, by a cameraman. Seems like a mid-rink final pose would be way more effective.

Score

Technical elements: 39.94Presentation: 36.94Total: 76.88

That’s first place, and well deserved. This was really slick and practiced-looking. Fear is clearly not a factor for these two. I like their line, I like their look. I have no complaints. And holy shit, that’s Robin Szolkowy next to them in the kiss and cry! I’d forgotten that he’s with them. His former partner, Aliona Savchenko, is still skating. I wonder when we’ll see her in this series? I love her. Best to just get my personal bias out there from the get-go.

That’s the end of the pairs short program! The free skate is next – stay tuned.

Happy New Year’s weekend, everyone! Welcome to my year-end wrap-up, along with a few recommendations for amazing stuff to watch and read that I discovered in 2016. Although this year kind of sucked for obvious reasons, it wasn’t all bad. Here’s the proof. On to the wrap-up! In 2016, I published: The Dante Deception (thriller, Natalie Brandon #2) The Carmelite Prophecy ...

Happy New Year’s weekend, everyone! Welcome to my year-end wrap-up, along with a few recommendations for amazing stuff to watch and read that I discovered in 2016. Although this year kind of sucked for obvious reasons, it wasn’t all bad. Here’s the proof.

Tiara Tuesday – the book (What should I call this darn thing? I need a better name!)

On to the recommendations!

Books

I didn’t read as much as I wanted this year because I was so focused on publishing, but I did find a few gems.

The Cartel by Don Winslow (sequel to The Power of the Dog). If you haven’t read The Power of the Dog, start there. They’re both fictional versions of the rise/reign of the Mexican drug cartels. It’s not a topic I’m normally interested in, but I couldn’t put either of these down. Fox grabbed the movie rights to The Cartel – IMDB lists it as in production, but I’ve seen Ridley Scott attached as the director. Normally, this would be an Amazon affiliate link so I could make a few cents if you bought the book, but I enjoy Don Winslow’s writing so much I’m sending you to his site so he can get a cut instead.

The Star of Istanbul by Robert Olen Butler. This is a World War I thriller series by a dude mostly known for literary fiction. I loved it. It’s not as fast-paced as traditional thrillers by the likes of Baldacci or Silva, but it’s got more character development and an amazing sense of time and place. (Amazon affiliate link – if you buy, I get a few extra cents in the research slush fund.)

If we’re not already friends on Goodreads, add me. I’ll be that nosy friend who’s always wondering what you’re reading.

Podcasts

I discovered podcasts in May, and now listen to them non-stop during my commute. Here are the ones that I look forward to most.

The Land of Desire. A woman with one of the loveliest voices I’ve ever heard talking about French history and culture in a way that’s accessible and easily digestible. She did a 6-episode arc on The Dreyfus Affair that made the whole thing intelligible, something none of my college courses could do. I kid you not. At first, I was like, what? Six episodes? No way. YES WAY, TED. She pulled it off and I was hooked.

The History of England. This guy cracks me up. He’s telling the entire story of the history of England with dry humor, quotations from eyewitness accounts, and a very enjoyable narrative style. It’s not stuffy or fussy at all, but the guy does his homework – you get the benefit of all his research and distillation, no advanced degree required. Score.

Liar City. This guy tells the stories of famous liars and con men (and women). One of my favorite episodes was about a mobster who pretended to be mentally ill to escape the justice system. He also did an episode on Milli Vanilli. I still have that cassette around here somewhere, believe it or not.

Hardcore History. Dude. Dan Carlin’s series on World War I wrecked me. It’s called Blueprint for Armageddon, and it’s the best WWI coverage I’ve ever heard/seen/read. I’d listen in the car on the way home from work and not be able to function for hours afterward. He makes it all so real with the depth, the detail, the research…if Ken Burns had turned The Civil War into a podcast, it would end up like this.

TV Shows

I probably watch too much TV, even though I don’t have cable or get any actual channels (country life, y’all). That being said, I Netflix the hell out of stuff. These are the two shows I’m dying for more of.

Spotless (Netflix/Esquire). I stumbled on this without knowing what to expect. It’s about two French brothers, now living in England and working in crime-scene cleanup. When a dangerous British gangster needs their services for obvious reasons, they get sucked into his world….and we get sucked into theirs. Compelling storylines, great acting, and realistic characters. The big brother became my favorite character – his scenes with his niece killed me. Has a 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating, if that means anything to you. Also, the dangerous British gangster is played by the dude who played Mr. Bates in Downton Abbey.

Versailles (Netflix/Ovation). OMG. This show is my dream come to life. If there’s a heaven, for me, it would look like Versailles. The first two episodes are a little jerky and confusing, but stick with it. You will be cheering, yelling, and bawling your eyes out by episode 10. I think I’m in love with Philippe, which is unfortunate for reasons you will understand if you watch the show or are a French history buff. Also, the theme music is Outro by M83. I routinely blast this at full volume when no one else is home. Also, Henriette’s dresses are SO PRETTY. Also, did I mention I’m in love with Philippe?

Music

I listen to a little bit of everything – pop, country, classical, opera, world music, soundtracks, you name it. I tend to make a playlist of recent discoveries, name it “New,” and listen to it for, like, a year until it’s so not new. This year was no exception. My “new” list still has Macklemore on it. I regret nothing.

Sicario soundtrack. It’s been awhile since I found a soundtrack I can write to. This fits the bill. It’s got menacing tracks, a couple romantic tracks, but nothing too booming or crashing to take me out of my thoughts. The movie was all right, but the soundtrack is better. The link is to a YouTube playlist with the whole album. Try before you buy.

Low Love by Brian Fallon. Brian, the lead singer of Gaslight Anthem, went solo this past year. This song isn’t on his album – but I found it on YouTube. Several hundred of its views are just me, playing it over and over. He’s a little Springsteen, a little punk, and a little melancholy. This is a slow song, but he’s got plenty of up-tempo stuff, too. 2016 was also the year I got his cover of Kelly Clarkson’s “I Do Not Hook Up” listed on The Atlantic’s page of most transformative covers.

America’s Sweetheart by Elle King. This is going down as one of my personal theme songs. It’s one of those I-am-who-I-am anthems that make me feel like I can do anything. It has a thumping, country-influenced beat and she basically says, “Yeah, I drink. Yeah, I’m heartless. No, I’m not your poster girl for anything. But I’m me. So screw it.” I’m not loud, and I don’t have any tattoos, but I’ve always done things my own way. This song makes me less alone for doing that. On the minus side, as much as I like this song, if I hear “Ex’s and Oh’s” one more time, I’m going to burn the radio. A few times was nice. A few billion is too many.

Lord Huron by Lord Huron. I’ve been trying to come up with a bitchin’ way to describe this album and failing miserably. It’s part rockabilly, part folk, part gloomy indie rock a la The National. People who say “do yourself a favor and ____” make me want to punch them in the face, so I won’t say that here, even though that’s basically what I mean.

Now it’s your turn!

What books, shows, and songs moved you in 2016? Give me something new to obsess over this winter while I’m waiting for season 2 of Versailles.

This book was simultaneously fun and torturous to research. On the one hand, who wouldn’t want to prowl around the web and YouTube looking for pictures and video of a beautiful French church? On the other, I knew going in that a hell of a lot of people were killed there in a gory massacre in 1792. So there’s that. ...

This book was simultaneously fun and torturous to research. On the one hand, who wouldn’t want to prowl around the web and YouTube looking for pictures and video of a beautiful French church? On the other, I knew going in that a hell of a lot of people were killed there in a gory massacre in 1792. So there’s that.

As the idea for the story grew, I also looked into things like French control over Algeria, Charles Martel’s victory at the Battle of Tours, the epic French medieval poem The Song of Roland, and Joan of Arc. This book was intended to be much shorter than The Dante Deception (mission accomplished!), but it also meant that so many interesting tidbits and rabbit holes of research went unfollowed (damn it). I mean, I had this whole de Gaulle assassination subplot that just got dropped entirely because…well, I had to pick between Baptiste’s grandfather’s backstory and Maillard’s father’s backstory. I went with Maillard.

The older I get, the more I realize how little time any of us really have, so things I might have followed up on ten years ago have now fallen by the wayside. Such is the curse of age.

If any of these topics sound interesting to you, too, check out my resources below. If they’re still in print, book links will take you to Amazon through my affiliate link – if you buy the book, Amazon will give me a few extra cents for my research slush fund! Woo-hoo!

Blogue de Jean-Pierre Martel. Also in French, the post I linked to here has gorgeous photos of the inside of the church, including the side chapels. If you’re using Chrome, hit Google Translate and look for the picture captioned “Chapel of the Blessed Martyrs of the Carmelites.” This is the side chapel Natalie ducked into, where Maillard found her.

Poivrota a Paris. Another travel blog with gorgeous photos of the church. Scroll about 55% of the way through the post and you’ll find a picture of the painting on the ceiling of the Chapel of the Blessed Martyrs of the Carmelites. I had Natalie look up at this painting specifically because I found this photo. If I can see exactly what the character is seeing, it’s so much easier for me to find a thread to follow throughout that scene.

AndrewHopkinsArt. This blog has a specific focus on art, and the photos from Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes focus on the paintings inside rather than the massacre or the architecture in general.

In the Footsteps of De La Salle. This website traces the Parisian journey of the founder of the Christian Brothers, who actually spent time at Saint-Joseph-des-Carmes (pre-Revolution). Because he was there, this site dedicated a page to the church as a whole, covering its general history and the massacre. This link takes you to a page with a video embed where you can hear the story of the massacre and see the infamous staircase. And by “staircase,” they mean, like, three tiny steps. When I’d only read written accounts, I pictured an entire flight of stairs and was really confused by the geography of the event. Then I got smart and dug for video, and this one cleared it all up.

Books

Behind the Scenes in the Terror by Hector Fleischmann. Okay, so I didn’t use the most interesting thing I found in this book, I still want to pass it on. Skip to page 180 – there’s a section about an inscription found in the church, which was used as a prison even after the massacre. Quite a few famous folks were held here, including Josephine de Beauharnais. She supposedly made the inscription, which also contains the names “Citoyenne Tallien” and “Daiguillon.” Suffice to say, things aren’t what they seem…but this chapter of the book makes for fascinating reading. It’s free on Google Books.

Mon Agonie de trente-huit heures. This is an account of the massacre by an actual survivor…but I couldn’t find a translation. I picked at it with my high-school French, and will come back to this when I have time, but in the interest of finishing this book before I turn 40, I had to move on without the benefit of this poor guy’s story. It’s also free on Google Books.

Discalced Carmelite Nuns & the Christian Brothers

Websites

Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles. I needed to know about the habits worn by Carmelite nuns, and this website has a wonderful page on just that topic. Plus, look at the picture on the top of the page – they’re so lovely and happy, I couldn’t resist reading more of their site than I needed to.

Archdiocese of Washington. Didn’t find enough on habits at the previous link? Click this one and scroll down to the embedded video. A nun named Sister Elizabeth gives a brief talk that answers burning questions like, do habits have pockets?

CarmeliteMonks.org. Okay, so now we know what nuns wear, but what do the Carmelite monks wear? Before I made Marius a Christian Brother, he was going to be a Carmelite monk.

Movie

The Nun. This 2013 movie, based on a classic Diderot novel, makes being a nun look like Mean Girls: 18th Century Edition. Visually, it’s gorgeous. As a point of research, I’d take it with a grain of salt. Just watch, enjoy, absorb the costuming, and be grateful you aren’t the main character.

The Song of Roland & Related Topics

Websites

From a manuscript in the Hermitage – 8 Stages of The Song of Roland in one picture. Nifty.

‘The Medieval Oliphant’ Traces the Horn Used by Warriors and Hunters. This New York Times article is a brief review of the book quoted in the title, but it’s actually a tidy summary of what the heck an oliphant is and where to find them. In the poem The Song of Roland, the oliphant plays a large role in saving and damning the hero. Also, the oliphant is clearly the etymological root of Timothy Olyphant’s last name, and I love Timothy Olyphant, so any time reading something that makes me picture him is time well spent.

Medieval Jokes. Okay, so this isn’t about Roland, but remember when Belial tells Natalie a joke? I cribbed it from here.

Books

The Song of Roland. The version I read and the version I quote are not the same. Translation makes a difference, but so does getting sued. The version I read came from the hubby’s The Norton Anthology of World Literature Volume B, which has a lovely and very readable translation. I read the poem in two sittings, both on a Saturday. I’ve been away from medieval poetry for awhile, so I’d forgotten about the eyeballs flying out of people’s skulls and spines being ripped out on the battlefield and all that stuff. It’s good times. When it came to actually quoting the poem in the book, though, I went for a public domain version that wasn’t quite as modernized in the translation. That version came from Project Gutenberg.

The French Foreign Legion & the Algiers Putsch

Websites & Videos

ForeignLegion.info. Lots of good stuff here. The page linked is a list of campaigns the Legion has participated in – I needed to find the places Maillard would have been during his service.

The Warrior Tradition (documentary). A good basic introduction – founding, early battles, and how the Legion earned its reputation for badassery. It’s not scholarly, so kick up your feet and just watch to be entertained.

Hélie de Saint Marc obituary. This guy was one of the Legionnaires who joined the Algiers Putsch – he lived a fantastic life, moving from the French Resistance during WWII to the Legionnaires.

Films Open French Wounds From Algeria. Thanks, Netflix, for not having either of the movies mentioned here. Maybe later, kay? The article was still helpful for presenting modern viewpoints on Algeria and the colonial legacy.

The Expendables. This William Langewiesche article for my beloved Vanity Fair gives us a glimpse of what it’s like to join the French Foreign Legion. Highly recommended.

An honor guard from the French army’s 6th Battalion.

The 1995 Paris Bombings & Front Nationale

Websites

Bomb explodes on Paris subway. This CNN snippet gives you a basic idea of what happened during the morning train bombing that Maillard’s father was involved in.

Who really bombed Paris? This Guardian article explores the idea that the Algerian secret service was in the bombings mentioned above. You know me. I can’t resist a little espionage, even if it’s pretty tangential to the story.

UnderstandFrance.org. Just need a simplified explanation of the racial and religious issues threatening to tear France apart? Start here. You can obviously go a lot deeper, but you have to know what to look for on both sides before diving in.

Joan of Arc

Books

The Maid and the Queen. This book bills itself as a “secret history,” but if you ignore that part – because it doesn’t hold water – it’s still a super-interesting book. Nancy Goldstone takes a lot of time in the beginning to set up the civil war raging in France so you can actually understand what the French want, what the Burgundians want, and why the English don’t give a shit about what anyone else wants. Worth a read.

Joan of Arc: A Life Transfigured. I’d read Kathryn Harrison’s fiction (Poison) before, so I was willing to see how she fared at a biography. This one’s a skimmer – light on analysis, and most of the interesting quotes come from the transcripts of Joan’s trial. Still, this is one of the few books that mentions pop culture representations of Joan and how they fit into her overall legend.

Personal Recollections Of Joan Of Arc. This two-volume set is really a historical novel by Mark Twain. Dude, did you guys know he wrote this? I hadn’t heard of it before, but he himself said, “It means more to me than anything I have ever undertaken.” It’s written from the point of view of her page, now 82 years old and looking back on his life. So freaking fascinating – and the Kindle edition linked above is only 99c.

I really wanted to dig deeper into Joan’s story – and I know there are SO MANY more resources out there, but by the time I got through these, I knew the story was heading in a different direction. Decades ago, I remember reading and liking Regine Pernoud’s classic Joan of Arc, but it looks like that version is out of print now. I also wouldn’t mind rewatching Milla Jovovich in The Messenger, but I just started Peaky Blinders and I’m kinda crushing on Cillian Murphy’s voice, so maybe later. I love John Malkovich, too, but the dauphin is such an unsexy role, y’all.

Websites

Relics of Saint Joan of Arc. Written by a member of the Joan of Arc Center in Orleans, this article talks about the purported relics of Joan’s that we know about, from body parts to letters to…other things that may make an appearance in the book.

The Sword from Heaven. This paper, written by an amateur historian, is so much fun to read. It’s an examination of what we know about the St. Catherine of Fierbois sword – including a theory that it could be made out of meteorite. Whaaaat.

Saint Joan of Arc’s Trials. You can read the transcripts of the original trial and the re-examination trial, all for free, all posted here. I dipped in and out of these instead of reading straight through – even if you’re interested, it can get a bit dry. Still, she really got in some good zingers and it’s fascinating to see the medieval mind at work.

Okay, But What Did You Do with All This Information?

I put it in the book! Wanna see? Click to check out The Carmelite Prophecy here on my site.

About the Author

Jenni

I write thrillers, romance, historical fiction, tiara posts, and more. Right now, I'm working on a series of Natalie Brandon thrillers. To find out when new books are released, click here to sign up for my mailing list and get two free books!

June 1978 Moscow, U.S.S.R. Three loud raps on the door startled him. Valentin Lazovsky looked up from his dinner, a plate of pierogi Stepan had left in the icebox for him. He glanced at his father, slumped in a moss-colored chair in the next room. Makar’s head twitched at the knock, but nothing more. Valentin made a fist. He got ...

June 1978
Moscow, U.S.S.R.

Three loud raps on the door startled him. Valentin Lazovsky looked up from his dinner, a plate of pierogi Stepan had left in the icebox for him. He glanced at his father, slumped in a moss-colored chair in the next room. Makar’s head twitched at the knock, but nothing more.

Valentin made a fist.

He got up from the table and unlatched all three deadbolts plus the sliding chain, its tarnished metal cold to the touch. The man in the hallway wore a short black jacket and pants. He leaned against the doorframe, one arm casually raised to reveal the knife sheath hung from his belt.

Valentin glared up at him. “What do you want?”

“Your father is expecting me.”

“No, he’s not.”

“I’m here to make a report. Are you sure he’s not in?”

“I didn’t say he wasn’t in.”

The man tilted his head to look into the apartment. “I need to see him.”

The man tilted his head to look into the apartment. “I need to see him.”

“Who sent you?”

“The general.”

I doubt that, Valentin thought. Stepan had gone to the dacha for the weekend, leaving behind three frozen meals and instructions not to go anywhere without a guard.

Valentin looked at the man’s face, moving his gaze from eyes to lips to dimpled chin. Sometimes, when he stared hard enough at his father, Makar’s mouth would twitch. The past five years had taught him just how much of the human body was driven by electrical impulse.

But this one didn’t twitch, not even when telling a lie.

Valentin glanced at the knife—almost nine centimeters, he guessed, like the ones they’d used at the Young Pioneer camp. “All right,” he said. “You can come in.”

The man’s rubber-soled boots squeaked as he stepped inside. “Comrade Lazovsky?” he asked, eyeing the single plate of food on the table.

“That’s mine,” Valentin said. He led the man through the dining room into the fireplace room, and bent over the inert form that still bore his father’s name. “Papa, someone came to see you.”

“Good.” Something fluttered in the pit of Valentin’s stomach. His body was trying to warn him, to get him to run, but that was the last thing he wanted to do. “Talk to him, then,” he told the visitor. “If that’s what you came to do.”

The man leaned forward, as if Makar’s ears were broken instead of his soul. “Comrade Lazovsky, the general asked me to come in person to receive your orders.”

One quiet breath raised Makar’s chest.

The visitor turned his head. “Can he even—”

“Of course he can.” With his eyes on the stranger’s face, Valentin whispered in his father’s ear. “Are you listening, Papa? This man wants to talk about Mamochka.”

The man nodded. “The general received word that the shipment from Astana will be late. Voroshilov is asking questions. He wants to know what to do.”

Makar coughed. The words, when they came, broke like waves over rocks. “What general?”

“Stepan Danilovich. Your uncle.”

“W—what does he want from me?”

“He wants an order.”

“My w—wife is missing. Tell the general I have to find her.”

The man paused. Valentin saw his Adam’s apple bounce as he swallowed. “How long has he been like this?”

“The whole time.”

A muscle in the thug’s jaw clenched. I was right, Valentin thought. The metallic taste in his throat intensified. He licked his lips and smiled. “You shouldn’t have come.”

The thug’s hand slipped toward his knife. “If he’s not the one giving orders…”

The thug’s hand slipped toward his knife. “If he’s not the one giving orders…”

Now, Valentin thought, lunging toward the pot-bellied stove. From the wrought-iron stand, he grabbed the kindling axe. He spun on the balls of his feet and struck a backhand blow, burying the axe in the other man’s calf.

The impact of the strike rattled the bones in his arm and he smiled. Harmony.

The other man yanked the axe from his calf with a grimace. “You think you’re so smart?”

Valentin shook his head. Stepan was smart. Maybe his father had been, too. Look where it got them—their home was being defended by a twelve-year-old boy. “I don’t need to be smart,” he said.

The other man stood between him and the rest of the room, blocking access to the dining room, where there was a knife on the table. His father was useless. He doubted Makar could hear anything over the sound of the voices in his head. But Valentin didn’t need him. In the corner to his left, hidden behind the bookcase, was his old Cossack bow.

Stepan, Valentin thought. Somehow his great-uncle was managing to run a smuggling ring, raise a boy, hold a position in the General Staff, and do it all under the nose of the Party. He thought of the stew in the icebox, carefully portioned for him by day. Sooner or later, someone would figure out who was running the Lazovsky family empire…and then they’d come for Stepan, too.

He couldn’t let that happen.

He dove into the corner and reached for his bow. The fingers of his left hand closed around its upper limb. He’d left two arrows beside it, firewood shafts tipped with broken knife points. He scrabbled for a shaft as the other man slashed his Achilles tendon from behind.

Valentin swore.

He felt pain and then warmth, like when little boys wet themselves in bed at night.

“I don’t want to hurt you,” the man said. “Hold your hands where I can see them.”

“I don’t want to hurt you,” the man said. “Hold your hands where I can see them.”

Valentin rolled from his stomach to his back, the bow and arrow in his hands. They were only toys, but he’d learned long ago that size didn’t matter. It was speed that killed. He pulled back with his right hand and let the sharpened missile fly. Its serrated arrowhead nicked the artery in the man’s neck.

“Good shot,” the man said. “Too bad you missed.”

“Did I?”

The man frowned and pressed a hand to his neck. Red rivulets coursed through his fingers.

People were much bigger targets than the wrens he’d learned to hit from his bedroom window. While his father met with vory leaders and his mother sighed and moped in the kitchen, he’d had nothing to do but force other creatures to pay attention to him. “Maybe I am smart,” he said.

The other man swayed on his feet, eyes wide with sudden fear. Blood dripped down his arm, spattering the floor beneath him.

He put his foot on the man’s neck, pressing it until the blood began to spurt. He’d read books that described the light leaving a man’s eyes as he died. He waited a few seconds, but the man’s eyes were still bright, dilated with fear as he bled and gasped and flailed.

His dinner was probably cold by now.

Valentin sighed. He still had to prepare, in case there were more men on the way.

He limped into the corner, retrieved his second arrow, and sent it through the man’s right eye.

Stay tuned for the next few chapters…

Can’t get enough? I posted character photos, a playlist, a reading list, and more on the book page!

About the Author

Jenni

I write thrillers, romance, historical fiction, tiara posts, and more. Right now, I'm working on a series of Natalie Brandon thrillers. To find out when new books are released, click here to sign up for my mailing list and get two free books!

April 1973 Moscow, U.S.S.R. Stepan Lazovsky put on his overcoat, slipping the second button through the first hole. He fastened three more lopsided buttons on the way to the stairwell. In exactly two minutes, Vakhan Zyuganov would walk past the rear entrance to the General Staff building. They’d greet each other with surprise and shake hands. Stepan would ask the ...

April 1973
Moscow, U.S.S.R.

Stepan Lazovsky put on his overcoat, slipping the second button through the first hole. He fastened three more lopsided buttons on the way to the stairwell. In exactly two minutes, Vakhan Zyuganov would walk past the rear entrance to the General Staff building. They’d greet each other with surprise and shake hands. Stepan would ask the other man if he wanted a ride.

Vakhan would accept.

After a brief conversation, Vakhan would be deposited on Kalinin Prospekt. Stepan would make his usual stop at the cafeteria near the Voyentorg to pick up a ready-made meal for supper. His driver had already been paid to set the radio to static in case the other man was bugged.

Stepan looked at his watch. Be on time, he pleaded. Be alone and bring me what I want.

On the ground floor, he stopped near the front door. He looked down at the top button of his coat, hanging free, and the second button lodged in the wrong buttonhole. “Idiot,” he grumbled, setting to work with a calculated lack of dexterity. The ruse bothered him. He was a general, not a spy, and imprecision in any form made him grind his teeth.

While his fingers adjusted the buttons, his eyes scanned the street through a small plate-glass window. The rumbling black Volga was there, his driver standing ready to open the door. He wished he’d told the man to wait in the car. Now any miscalculation in timing would result in behavior outside his established pattern, the first thing the KGB would look for.

He wished he’d told the man to wait in the car. Now any miscalculation in timing would result in behavior outside his established pattern, the first thing the KGB would look for.

Stepan fumbled with his coat until he saw Vakhan’s blond head, then he burst through the door onto the street. “Vakhan Pavlovich!”

Stepan looked at the neon sign above the Arbatskaya metro station – The Soviet Union Is the Source of Peace. It wasn’t true. Any loyalty the Party had earned defending the motherland against the Third Reich vanished when they tossed his brother from the army back into prison. The vory v zakone had no tolerance for the convicts who accepted the government’s offer to fight the fascists. The criminal underworld prided itself on giving no help to the government, any government, not even in wartime. But Stalin sent them from the front lines back to prison, knowing full well what would happen to them. His brother had died in his cell, beaten faceless with a pipe, and Stepan had transferred his loyalty from the Party to his brother’s widow and fatherless child.

He brought them to live in his apartment, a reward from Khrushchev for his distinguished military career. He raised Makar as his own, teaching him to gather wild mushrooms at his dacha in Zhukova, then holding the boy’s hand at his mother’s burial.

Later, when Makar took steps to ingratiate himself with the vory leadership, Stepan provided the information about army supply shipments he needed to get their attention. When Makar moved against them, Stepan supplied the weapons and safe houses. In the end, after Makar killed the men who participated in his father’s murder, the vory allowed him to take his place. It would never have been permitted before the war, but many of the younger men had chosen to forgo the old ways, settling down with the wives and children that had been forbidden to their fathers and grandfathers. They overlooked Makar’s wife, Elena, as the cost of peace in the underworld.

Until the day she went missing.

Then all hell broke loose.

At first, they thought she’d been kidnapped. The son of a collaborator, Makar knew his position among the vory had never been stable. But when no ransom demand arrived, Stepan began to suspect. There was nothing for anyone to gain. Elena was simply gone.

…when no ransom demand arrived, Stepan began to suspect. There was nothing for anyone to gain. Elena was simply gone.

“Is she alive?” Stepan repeated. “I don’t know. It’s just a feeling.”

“Maybe she went east, to the Urals. Or south, to the Crimea.” Vakhan raised an eyebrow. “Is there anything you can give me to go on?”

Stepan realized how little he knew of Elena—where her family came from, or whether she had relatives outside the country. Without a permit to live anywhere but Moscow, she should have been at the mercy of the vory, the only secure channel to acquire a forged identification card and residence permit. But he’d already reached out to them with no luck. Vakhan was the first deputy to the Ministry of the Interior. If he couldn’t find her, what were they left to conclude?

Stepan leaned his head against the glass. “East, south…try them all. Someone will talk.”

“What if they don’t?”

He thought of the horrible things he’d seen on the march to Berlin—living bodies sliced open, oil or gasoline poured inside, and all of it set on fire. “We’ll make them talk.”

Vakhan placed a warm palm on Stepan’s arm. “I don’t want to say this, but you’re a friend, so I feel I must. Is it possible she doesn’t want to be found?”

“She married my nephew and gave him a son. I don’t care what she wants.”

“She married my nephew and gave him a son. I don’t care what she wants.”

Vakhan said nothing.

A moment later, the car stopped in front of a gray three-story building. The night stretched before him, endless and cold, and Stepan knew it might last for the rest of his life. “Please continue the search and keep me informed,” he said. “If you find yourself without dinner plans, call me at home. I’ll take you to the Armed Forces Officers’ Club.”

“I will.” Vakhan smiled. “Thank you.”

They shook hands when they got out of the car. Stepan unbuttoned his coat and re-fastened the buttons correctly. Vakhan was a good man, but not the right one for the job. He wasn’t ruthless enough.

They had to find Elena soon.

Makar was losing the ability to make decisions. He’d already authorized the capture and torture of three other vory leaders, hoping they had news of Elena. They didn’t. A shipment of produce from Nizhny-Novgorod had arrived by train and Makar let it rot because finding his wife was more important than feeding the men in Butyrka. The vory were criminals, true, but their connections allowed them to bring food into prisons and work camps that the government ignored. Men would starve unless certain procedures were followed.

And then there was Valentin.

Stepan sighed as he entered the unmarked building and made his way to the basement. Here, the military’s elite lined up for ready-made meals that weren’t available to the public. Caviar, expensive cuts of meat, fresh fruit, and Georgian wine were all available to the upper echelons at the expense of the masses. Tonight’s meal was Valentin’s favorite—lamb shashlik marinated in lemon juice with potato salad, bread, and fruit soup. Stepan couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Valentin laugh like a regular child. He had every reason to be angry, but…

There was something about the boy that frightened him.

There was something about the boy that frightened him.

It started before Elena went missing, but had worsened over the long, lonely winter. He began finding toys dismembered for parts that were then sharpened and used to impale moths or spiders. Rat poison went missing from the kitchen a day before a neighbor’s cat was found dead. Sometimes there were thin, sharp wires stretched across doorways at ankle level. When confronted, Valentin met Stepan’s gaze with vacant eyes, biding his time until he was dismissed.

A light push against his back moved him forward in line. Stepan placed his order and watched the kitchen staff box it up. As the attendant handed him a plain brown shopping bag, a cold feeling stirred in his gut.

Elena wasn’t dead. She couldn’t be. Neither the vory nor the bureaucracy had found a body.

She hadn’t been kidnapped because no one had asked for a ransom.

Maybe she was ill.

But illness didn’t confer residence permits for other cities.

Stepan left the cafeteria and walked back up to street level. His driver opened the car door and he slid inside, the bag of food warming his lap. A sudden flash of memory played like a filmstrip in his mind. A week after Elena went missing, he’d reached into the flatware drawer for a spoon to stir his tea. Something long and sharp stabbed him under his fingernail, leaving wooden splinters in the nail bed.

A week after Elena went missing, he’d reached into the flatware drawer for a spoon to stir his tea. Something long and sharp stabbed him under his fingernail, leaving wooden splinters in the nail bed.

Now he realized what it had been.

A shashlik skewer, thinned and sharpened, and placed there intentionally.

His fingers clenched the top of the brown bag.

Elena, he thought. What have you done?

Stay tuned for the next few chapters…

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About the Author

Jenni

I write thrillers, romance, historical fiction, tiara posts, and more. Right now, I'm working on a series of Natalie Brandon thrillers. To find out when new books are released, click here to sign up for my mailing list and get two free books!